


timshel

by Over_the_Love204



Series: To Build a Home [9]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bloodlust, F/F, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Genderswap, Season/Series 04, Starting Over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2017-12-26 14:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 84,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_the_Love204/pseuds/Over_the_Love204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post "broken crown," Stephanie is free from Klaus' compulsion and must rebuild her relationships with her friends and her brother, while fighting her bloodlust every minute of every day. </p>
<p>"Want to tell me how you're here, Steph?" Elena asked after a moment.  "I mean, last we saw each other, you were kind of . . ." </p>
<p>"A raging, psychotic bitch?" </p>
<p>"Pretty much, yes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. as deep as a bite, as dark as the night

****as deep as a bite, as dark as the night** **

" _Pass me that lovely little gun_  
My dear, my darling one  
The cleaners are coming, one by one  
You don't even want to let them start."  


_._

_._

_._

Elena woke up, blinking at a white and fuzzy ceiling with the knowledge that she was forgetting something incredibly important. Someone was holding her hand – someone with pale, slender fingers that held a certain amount of strength but also gentleness whenever they touched her. She blinked rapidly, eyes clearing enough to make out Damon. His blue eyes were focused unnervingly on her, intense and worried. She wanted to pat his shoulder, kiss him softly and say  _I'm fine, you silly man_ , but the words would not come and she found that her strength was lacking.

She must have made some noise though because immediately Damon perked up and leaned toward her eagerly. He reached out a hand and softly stroked her cheek with one chilled finger and Elena leaned into the touch.

"Damon," She breathed and her eyes fluttered closed. Elena searched her memory for something, that one important thing that she was forgetting . . .

"Elena," Damon's voice was husky with an angry undertone. "How do you feel?"

Elena looked for a word to describe the sensations she was beginning to experience but couldn't settle on anything but, "Weird."

Damon's mouth twisted. "That's normal." Elena tilted her head and began to sit up in her bed – and it  _was_  her bed at the Gilbert house and not the one she shared often with Damon at his home – and frowned.

Thump.

Thump. Thump.

Thump.

Thump. Thump. In addition, there was a buzzing in her ear and was – were those sirens? What was going on?

"Damon?" Elena's breathing quickened. "Damon, what happened?"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Damon sat on the bed and murmured quietly, a rare expression of tenderness on his face and in his gestures. "You've been in and out pretty much all morning."

"Damon?" Elena repeated sharply, "What happened?"

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"And what is that  _noise_?" She demanded loudly. Her memories were beginning to come back rapidly and her heart beat, originally extremely slow, was skyrocketing. Hospital bed bright lights – pain in her neck blood in her mouth –

"Klaus kidnapped you," Damon explained, eyes searching his face. "And then  _Finn_  and _Sage_  showed back up in town, hell bent on getting revenge. Delayed revenge, I might add."

"WH-what did they do?" Elena whispered but she already knew the answer; she could feel it in her very bones that there was something different about herself and the memories kept trickling in. "Am I  _dead_?" Her voice rose in pitch on that last word.

Damon pressed his lips into a thin, grim line. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, no," Elena cried, running her hands through her long brown hair and then down her face, almost clawing herself. "No, I didn't want to be a vampire! Damon,  _I don't want to be a vampire_!"

"Well, unless you want to be dead, you have no choice now," Damon snapped in a brief moment of anger and frustration. "You have a day to feed and complete the transition."

"Or a day to say goodbye." The thought made Elena calm a little and she lowered her hands into her lap. She felt like her whole body was trembling with emotions. Or maybe that was the transition.

"Maybe there's a way out of this, we just have to figure it out," Another voice suggested from the door of her bedroom. Elena looked up and felt her jaw go slack with surprise.

"There is no way out of it, Stephanie," Damon snapped angrily without turning to even look at his sister. "You feed or you die, there is no number three."

"What is she doing here, Damon?" Elena demanded and she fists her hands in her thick comforter.

"She's a White Hat again," Damon surprised Elena further by wincing, "which was kind of the catalyst for Klaus kidnapping you. It's a long story."

"Maybe there's something Bonnie can do," Stephanie continued, avoiding Elena's gaze. "Some spell or something."

Elena grasped on that hope with everything she had. "Bonnie's really good, Damon, maybe Stephanie's right." She would focus on Stephanie getting free from Klaus later. Right now, she needed to think about . . . this.

"She's not _that_  good," Damon glowered. "Come on, Elena, be sensible."

"It's my choice," Elena met his eyes challengingly. "You wouldn't make me turn against my will, Damon. It's my choice." She was sure that he wouldn't force her to change; he loved her too much to do that.

"Like always," He muttered under his breath.

"What's that thumping downstairs?" Elena asked abruptly, distracted. She needed to know what it was.

"Heartbeats," Stephanie's voice was strained as she answered. Maybe she was having trouble around the humans too then, Elena half mused. "You can hear the neighbors' hearts because you can't control your extended senses yet."

"Why don't you stay up here for a bit while I have a chat with Steph," Damon's hand was suddenly on Elena's shoulder. "Okay?"

"I'm not an invalid," Elena said brusquely.

"No, you're just in transition and a danger to humans right now," Damon said lowly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you just say you didn't want to turn?" His face was hard and there seemed to be a wall rising between them. No, not a wall – a gaping chasm miles apart that was continuing to widen.

Sensing this, Elena stifled her protests for the moment; she could probably hear what they were saying about her anyway. "Fine," She said stiffly.

"Great." There was Damon's fake, plastic smile. Elena hated it. He stood and clapped a hand on his sister's shoulder and the two strode away, downstairs to the kitchen if the opening cupboards and slamming coffee cups and glass tumblers were anything to go by. If she strained herself, Elena could hear them arguing about giving her false hope and quiet murmurings of Caroline and Lexi.

Abruptly, Elena couldn't hear them anymore; the sounds of her clock ticking took over her concentration and her gums began to throb. She stood from the bed and went over to her Chester drawer with its large mirror that took up a good portion of her wall. Elena sat down and leaned towards the mirror, lifting her hands to her mouth. She felt around with her fingers, looking for the fangs she'd seen her friends bare, but could not feel the sharpened incisors.

The light from her lamp made her blink rapidly and the buzz of electricity began to hum loudly, making her head spin towards it. She winced as the hum wavered in decibels. Tersely, she strode over to the lamp and crushed the light bulb in her fingers. There was a brief burn that quickly resolved itself with her quickened healing and she felt better now that the humming was gone as well as the bright fluorescent light.

The conversation downstairs became louder and Elena covered her ears with her hands. She realized it was going to be a long, horrible day.

She didn't know the half of it.

* * *

"Elena doesn't want to be a vampire," Matt said gruffly.

"I really doubt she wants to be dead either, Matt," Anna retorted as she pulled on a dark jacket. Were they seriously going to miss school again? It wasn't like she could compel herself a diploma anymore and so she couldn't afford to keep taking off. But he wanted to go see Elena, the troublesome-in-transition-doppelgänger. God, she wanted a drink.

"She needs a level head to talk to right now," He continued blithely. "The only people around her right now are vampires, Anna, and they're all going to be telling her to turn." Matt headed towards the door of his house, but Anna slid in front of him, putting her hands onto his chest, forcing Matt to look down at her.

"Do you really want her to die?" Anna asked, genuinely curious. "She's your friend. Isn't it better she becomes vampire than not be around at all?"

"I know that she didn't want to be a vampire before she died, Anna," He faced her seriously, "and I just want to make sure none of those guys are pressuring her into doing something she doesn't want to know. You know Damon will want her to turn and I think Elena would do it to please him."

"Then I don't think you know your friend very well," Anna said shortly. "She's independent and makes her own choice, whether or not they're particularly good. If she wants to die, I think she'll make that decision, and if she wants to be a vampire so she can live with the Salvatore's forever, then you need to let her do that."

"Anna." Matt's face was so solemn. "I  _have_  to talk to her before she makes up her mind."

Anna sighed. "For the record, I just want it to be known that I think this is a bad idea. She's unstable right now and even the smell of human blood could set her off."

"Yeah," Matt grunted and they set off for his truck together.

* * *

"Damn it," Damon muttered.

"What's the matter, darling, are you not happy to see me?"

Damon looked up to see Bonnie and Kol striding through his kitchen to the living room. "What the hell are you doing here?" Bonnie went passed them without comment, heading up the stairs to Elena's bedroom, carrying a backpack presumably full of her witchy things.

Kol threw himself down on the couch and reclined. He shot Damon a lazy smirk. "Just checking out the entertainment. This town is dreadfully boring if you don't follow  _The Trials and Sufferings of the Petrova Doppelgänger Special._ "

Damon snarled. "How did you get in here?"

"Well, the owner of the house just died, didn't she? No invitation necessary," Kol drawled and Damon nearly leapt at him to throttle the Original.

"Hey, hey," Stephanie interceded and put a hand onto Damon's shoulder. "What were those calls about?" She distracted him.

While glaring at Kol, Damon explained. "Meredith says that the blood is being guarded at the hospital, Alaric and Pastor Young have relieved Liz and Carol of their jobs and all the vervain has been gathered up, somehow including our stash," Damon ticked off his fingers. "So basically, everything's gone to hell in a hand basket."

"So what do we do?" Lexi asked from the doorway.

"Is my mom okay?" Caroline demanded.

"So much estrogen in one room," Kol admired with a sly grin, earning him several glares.

"Not the time," Stephanie glared. "Where's your leash?"

"I've been cut off, but the master's just up the stairs if you need to know training commands," Kol offered.

"Can you just be gone?" Damon demanded of Kol and then turned to Caroline and Lexi. "Find Tyler and make sure he's not doing something stupid like trying to help out his mom. Don't try to contact your mother either, Caroline. I'm going to go see what I can do about the vervain and the blood for now. Steph, keep an eye on  _him-"_

"I'm leaving," Kol announced, jumping up. "I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll just see if Abby needs anything." He strode away and despite his eager self-dismissal, the others could see that he was satisfied with the minor chaos he'd caused for them.

"I've got to get more stuff, anyway," Bonnie announced and all of the vampires turned to look at her sudden appearance. "I can't find anything in what I brought, so I'm thinking I'll just continue this at my house."

"Then Steph, you keep an eye on Elena," Damon commanded and the group dispersed with each of their missions, though not without some grumbling about being told what to do.

"Did you forget I can't go out into the sunlight?" Lexi asked dryly.

Damon frowned. "Take a jacket or something."

"Or I could just stay here," She deadpanned.

Damon waved a hand. "Whatever." He followed the others out and the door shut with a soft click. Stephanie turned for the stairs to avoid talking to Lexi, but her friend stopped her with a handle to the shoulder.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine," Stephanie grunted.

"I know you, Steph," Lexi warned, "and you are not fine right now. Where did you go before? When we all just arrived back?"

"Just took a walk, Lexi," Stephanie jerked her arm out of her friend's grasp. "I needed to get out of this house for a bit."

Lexi arched her brows, but dropped it. "How's the bloodlust?"

Stephanie said nothing.

"When this mess is solved, I could help you," Lexi offered.

"Damon's going to help this time," Stephanie said, surprising Lexi.

"Really?" Lexi crossed her arms and wasn't sure if she was very pleased. "What's he going to teach you?" She scoffed. "How to take a woman to bed?"

Stephanie leveled her with a sharp look. "Moderation." Lexi barked a laugh and Steph glared. "Come on, Lexi, let's be serious for a minute. What you do doesn't really help me; it's gets me weaned off human blood, sure, but then as soon as I get so much as a taste, I'm off the rails again. I need a permanent fix, Lex, not just something to get me through a decade or two."

Lexi and Stephanie watched each other for a moment until the blonde finally nodded warily. "Okay. If that's what you want. But I'll be keeping an ear to ground, do you hear me? If things get too out of control, I'm going to step in because you're my best friend and I want to help."

"This mean you're leaving?" Stephanie asked, relaxing her stance. She was privately glad that Lexi had backed off so easily. Even though they'd been clearly living under the same roof, Damon and Lexi were by no means friends.

"Well, Lee has to miss me," Lexi shrugged but she had a tiny smile in the corner of her mouth. "Poor guy probably feels neglected. And I miss him, too."

They were interrupted by a creaking on the step. It was Elena, walked towards them. "Hey," The dark haired girl greeted quietly.

"Hi," Steph nodded. They stood awkwardly together.

"Want to tell me how you're here, Steph?" Elena asked after a moment. "I mean, last we saw each other, you were kind of . . ."

"A raging, psychotic bitch?" Stephanie offered wryly and Elena coughed out a dry laugh. Lexi smirked.

"Pretty much," She nodded.

"Klaus decided to let me go," Stephanie explained and crossed her arms. Elena frowned as she descended the last of the stairs. Even Lexi cocked her hip at that. She'd wondered, of course, but could Klaus have truly listened to her?

"What?" Elena was similarly amazed.

"He said something like that if you really loved someone, you'd let them go. If they didn't return, you never really had their love," Steph shifted on her feet. "I think he was trying to be gallant, but it was a bit too little too late."

Lexi placed her hand over to mouth to hide her shock; Klaus did have a heart, after all, she supposed. He was a terrible, murderous man, but apparently she'd gotten through to that guarded heart of his.

"He's sick," Elena agreed. She looked at the floor and then at Stephanie's brooding gaze. "I'm . . . sorry you went through all that. Caroline and Lexi missed you." Lexi nodded. "Damon too. Um," She rubbed the back of her neck, "I missed you too. You're a good friend."

"When I'm not snacking on the locals," Stephanie muttered under her breath.

"I think we can all agree on that," Elena nodded and the tense atmosphere began to lighten just a bit. The vampires looked up though, not even a minute later; they could hear several heavy footsteps on the front porch. Elena's heart began to race, even as Stephanie positioned herself in front of her protectively, just like before. Lexi turned to face the intruders head on.

The door burst open and they were surrounded by several unfamiliar deputies and two very familiar men. "Pa-Pastor Young?" Elena asked hesitantly and gently maneuvered around the smaller vampire. "Rick?"

"Everything will be alright, Elena," The Pastor assured her gently with placating hand motions.

Alaric smiled and it was almost as if nothing had changed until he said, "We're going to protect you from the vampires."

Several shots rang out and Elena screamed.

.

.

.

"Damn it all to-" Damon grumbled angrily as he ran around the house, fixing lamps and furniture for something to temporarily keep his mind and hands busy. He'd gotten back from his reconnaissance from the hospital (the security was iron tight and neigh impossible to get through) with Meredith on his heels to find that his sister and his girlfriend were missing from the Gilbert house. Lexi had been shot up full of vervain and wooden bullets and was still unconscious on the couch.

The front door opened and Damon whirled around; he relaxed when he saw it was only Liz. Meredith returned from the kitchen, still silent as death.

"They're gone," He said flatly.

Liz frowned. "I found Caroline and Tyler," Liz told him and Damon perked up.

"And?"

"I told them to hide somewhere," Liz sighed. "They wouldn't leave town, but I suggested they go to ground, at least. They finally went to the old Lockwood grounds temporarily. It was the best I could get them to do."

"At least they were captured by the Council," Damon ground out. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Nothing," Liz shook her head. "The Council locked Carol and I out of our offices; we can't access files, equipment, people, nothing."

Damon strode towards his friend menacingly. "And you never contemplated a backup plan, Liz?"

"Damon," Meredith warned lowly.

"I'm sorry I'm stressed, Meredith," He snapped, "It's just that my best friend is crazy and with the bad guys and my sister and my girlfriend have been kidnapped for God knows what reason."

There was a knocking on the door and the three adults immediately turned to see who had joined them now.

"Is Elena here?" Matt stuck his head around the door. At his side was Anna, who traded unhappy looks with Damon. Neither particularly liked the other.

"No," Damon said shortly.

"She was taken by the Council," Meredith told him sympathetically. "We're trying to figure out where they might have gone."

"With your vervain and Alaric's weapons, they could be anywhere," Liz told the group at large. "We don't have a chance in hell locating them."

"Come on guys, think," Damon snapped. "It takes a lot to hold a vampire; reinforced steel, iron doors . . ."

Something must have clicked in the back of Matt's brain. "Pastor Young has cattle ranch," He said quickly, "Those pens and locks could easily be modified to hold vampires, especially ones weak on vervain."

"Way to go, Matt," Anna muttered and shot him a quick grin that he weakly tried to return.

"It's remote, it's secluded . . ." Meredith trailed off.

"Well guess what, I guess you get to prove how useful quarterbacks can really be," Damon locked eyes on Matt. "So let's go, QB. Everyone else wait here until we get back."

* * *

Elena sat in Pastor Young's farmhouse, finger in her mouth probing the place in her gums where she could feel her fangs growing. Every noise irritated her; everything was louder and brighter and she thought she was going to go crazy. Distantly, she heard Pastor Young ask her a question, but Elena was focused on her newly returned friend who was surely locked up somewhere with Alaric's crazy alter ego and who knew how many other captured vampires.

"Elena?" Pastor Young tried to grab her attention. The tea kettle screamed, making her wince painfully. She wanted to cover her ears.

"Why did you bring me here?" Elena asked quickly.

"My deputies can watch out for us here," He told her. "Look, Elena, I know this sounds crazy, but it was your parents that advocated having an emergency plan like this. I never actually thought we'd have to use it." The clock was booming in her ears and the light streaming in through the window made her cover her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Where are Steph and Lexi?" Elena ignored his question and she heard him sigh.

"They're vampires, Elena," Pastor Young explained gently, "They could seriously hurt you."

While that was honest when Stephanie was on a ripper binge, it was conveniently untrue at this very moment, "They would never hurt me." Thank you Klaus, for letting Stephanie go for this to be truthful, Elena thought to herself. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, I know that wherever you go, Salvatore vampires seem to follow," Pastor Young told her. "You hungry?"

"No." Elena glowered. She was certainly hungry, but not for anything he was cooking. His heartbeat sounded particularly appetizing.

Pastor Young began to explain his plans. "We left the blonde vampire, Lexi, back at the house since she didn't have a daylight ring and she wasn't precisely necessary. We'll hold Stephanie until Damon comes searching for you two, and we'll use Kol to bring back the Original vampires. Did you know that the original sign for Wickery Bridge was made out of a white ash tree? Thankfully, we found it in the Mayor's office and whittled it into a stake. We'll be able to get rid of the entire vampire race."

"Wait, you have Kol?" Elena asked sharply. He'd gone home with Bonnie. Surely they hadn't taken Bonnie down? She was a human.

"He tried to fight back," Pastor Young misinterpreted her tone for worry for the Council, "but for some reason, he couldn't land a hit on anyone. It was like something was stopping him each time he got close, which was good for us. Unusual though."

"Was anyone with him?" Elena hedged uncertainly.

"Your good friend Bonnie Bennett and her vampire mother," Pastor Young gave her the side eye. "We know she's a witch, so we couldn't figure out why she would be fraternizing with vampires. We put her out of commission temporarily so she wouldn't decide to try anything that would destroy our plans."

"What did you do to her?" Elena demanded. "She's my best friend."

"Nothing she won't recover from," The Pastor soothed. "It was just a mild sedative to keep her out for the rest of the day. She'll wake up this evening in her bed and by then the vampire infestation should be taken care of."

Elena clenched her fists, furious that anyone could have done something so vial to her best friend. The sounds of the kitchen intensified and all she wanted to do was leave and warn everyone. Pastor Young leaned in close suddenly and his blood was all she could hear and think of.

"Elena, you okay?"

Fine, she tried to mutter, but the sounds only got louder and his blood more distracting, so she sprang upwards, knocking her chair back. "I've got to get out of here." She ran from the house and she distantly heard the Pastor shout,  _"Get her."_

They knew now, then.

The world went blurry as the force of the sun beat on her back and then she heard a gun being cocked and fired; a bullet tore through her stomach and she sank to the dirty ground. She lost consciousness.

* * *

"I can't stand just waiting around!" Caroline finally shouted, throwing up her arms. "There has to be something we can do!"

"Care," Tyler soothed, "There's not. If we go out there, all we're doing is giving the Council more targets and our parents more people to rescue. We'll just be a hindrance."

Caroline groaned. "Tyler."

"Seriously, Care," Tyler snapped. "What do you want me to do? Ignore your mom and let ourselves be caught by the Council like Stephanie and Elena were?"

Caroline sank down to the dirty ground, defeated.

* * *

Elena woke up with a terrible headache and feeling of awful heaviness in her very bones. She blinked her eyes, trying to locate the loud buzzing noise in the barn; a powerful steel fan was blowing vervain around, weakening all the vampires. She remembered quite suddenly where she was: Pastor Young's cattle ranch.

"Lookit who finally woke up," A groggy voice drawled across from her. Elena blinked heavily and recognized Kol. "They thought you were a full-fledged vampire and stuffed you in here with us monsters, darling. Must not have recognized somebody in transition. Pity."

"Kol?" Elena called drowsily. She felt very out of it, dizzy and lightheaded. It was disorienting.

"That's me," Kol rolled his head onto his shoulder, revealing how frail he truly was in that moment. Elena almost pitied him.

"Stephanie?" Elena called.

Someone coughed in the pen next to her. "Right here, Elena." She sounded terrible.

"Steph!" Elena tried to quickly get to the bars of the pen so she could talk to her friend. "I need to feed," She gasped. "I'm so hungry . . ." Elena could hear shuffling in the pen next to her and suddenly there was a thin arm sticking through the bars. Elena gratefully clasped her hand. "If we get out of this," She huffed, "all is forgiven, okay, Steph? Even the Jeremy stuff."

"Thanks . . . for . . . that," Stephanie wheezed and coughed.

With her free hand, Elena shook the reinforced bars of the pen.

"It's no use," Kol called over quietly. "I've tried that already; the good Pastor and the vampire hunter truly know their stuff. There's no way we're getting out of this place alive unless someone rescues us poor damsels."

"You're including yourself in that list?" Stephanie coughed.

"Of course," Kol drawled. "I mean, I am trapped. I couldn't even protect the lovely Bennett witch when they drugged her."

"I couldn't either . . ." Abby Bennett Wilson. Elena looked over and saw her; Abby was in the same condition they were in, drowsy and weak, leaning against the back of her cell-like pen. "They doped up my daughter and all I could do was watch from the ground . . ."

"They didn't hurt her, Pastor Young said," Elena tried to reassure the mother of her best friend, but honestly she was worried about Bonnie as well.

"Ha," Abby choked out a laugh. "He'll go for the witches next, mark my words Elena."

The four vampires grew quiet for a moment. "Stephanie?"

Stephanie gripped Elena's hand a little bit harder. "Yeah, Elena?"

"I don't think I have much time left," Elena croaked, "I need blood. I'm dying."

Stephanie scrabbled around her pen, dropping Elena's hand. Moments later, Elena heard her dragging her body up from the dirty ground by pulling on the iron bars. "Hey!" She yelled, "Anyone! You think we're afraid of you?" The door to the barn opened and a white guy around his late twenties, early thirties stormed inside. He went directly to Steph's pen and Elena felt a flash of fear.

"Do you want more vervain?" He demanded.

"Help me. Elena's going to die if you don't get her out of here," She begged. "Please."

There was moment of tense silence where the man stared at Elena and the girl truly thought for a moment that he would relent. Then he turned back to Stephanie. "Sorry. Not my problem." Elena coughed.

"She's innocent, let her out," Stephanie tried again. When the man did nothing she raged at the bars. " _Let her out_!" The gun went off and Elena flinched as she heard Stephanie grunt and fall painfully to the ground. " _I said let her out_!" Stephanie screeched again and rushed the bars. The man only shot her again. When Steph fell this time, she did not get back up.

"Stephanie?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"Darling?" Kol called and Elena was surprised to hear a little concern. "Lovely show, but I'm afraid it wasn't particularly well thought out."

"Heh," Stephanie tried to laugh and ended up grunting instead. She dragged her body up to the side of her pen again, as close to Elena as she could get. She plunged her fingers into her thigh, searching for the bullet there. "And it feels like I just got out the last wooden bullets they shot me up with at the house," She groaned. Steph tossed it across the pen after she'd fished it out, and searched for the second one in her gut.

Grunting and panting, Stephanie found it and yanked. "Elena? You still with me?"

"Yeah," Elena whispered and found to her surprise that she could barely talk. Still, she tried to convince her friend she was fine. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"No, you're not," Stephanie called her out. "I can hear your breathing. Damon was right; you should have fed this morning. I'm so sorry for suggesting otherwise."

"It's fine," Elena whispered, "You had hope, which is what I wanted everyone to have." She closed her eyes. "Oh God, Jeremy. I'll never see him again."

"Yes, you will," Stephanie snapped, teary eyed. "I'll make sure of it."

"How?" Elena whispered. "We're stuck . . . in . . . here . . ."

"Darling, don't pass out now," Kol called to her. "I'm sure rescue is son the way; I mean, there's no possible way  _Damon Salvatore_  is going to let you die in here. You know, did I ever tell you about the bar fight I had with him in 1912? New Orleans, it was. I pummeled him."

"No, you didn't," Stephanie laughed dryly, which only made her cough. "You both were far too drunk. And anyway, you were on the same side that night."

"Really?" Kol pondered. "Maybe I was a little  _too_  trashed . . ."

Elena smiled as her eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

Damon jumped out of the car and slammed the door angrily, jerking Matt along. "Come on, Quarterback." The house was silent, but there were lights lit everywhere.

"So, what? We just storm the place with no weapons?" Matt asked sharply.

"Nope. We just need bait," Damon said.

"Huh?" Matt asked, turning to him. Damon darted in and bit Matt's neck, sucking the blood from one of his main arteries. Damon gripped the jock around his thick shoulders to hold him in place as he fed. It had been so long since he'd drunk from the vein . . . he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. Damon dropped Matt to the ground and looked back to the house, not bothering to wipe his face or straightening up his appearance otherwise; he looked feral and felt utterly wild.

While Matt groaned in the grass, Damon hollered toward the house. "You who, big bad vampire out here!"

The door opened and Pastor Young stepped out. "Leave him alone; the boy is innocent," The man commanded sharply.

"Reasoning with Damon is pointless," Another man joined Pastor Young and Damon stiffened. Alaric grinned. "You have to use force with him or else he just never learns."

"I really don't need to learn anything, Rick," Damon said lowly and he grabbed Matt. "I know you want Matt alive, but seeing as I don't care, I suggest you do what I ask and give me Stephanie and Elena."

"You gotta use force, Pastor," Alaric said again and retrieved a gun. He cocked it and shot, hitting Damon in the shoulder.

"Get away!" The Pastor yelled, "You are not getting in and we are not coming out!"

Damon looked down at the wound and then back up at the men on the porch. "Okay, now I'm angry. This was designer jacket."

* * *

Kol, watching Elena and Stephanie hold hand through the bar, giving each other strength, made a decision. He dragged his body up from the cell-like pen, using the reinforced iron bars to hold himself up.

"Oi! Watcher man! I'm in need of a favor!" The women in the barn looked at him, confused, and so Kol gave Stephanie a significant look. She blinked, let go of Elena's hand, and began to pull herself up as well.

"I'll take care of this," One of the men called, "You bring in the other one."

"Got it."

"Excuse me! Hello, watcher man?" Kol continued to call until the man stood in front of him.

"I thought I told you to shut up?" The guard demanded and pointed his gun at the Original.

"Right, well, here's the thing," Kol said, "my family has a lot of money; lots of property and jewelry. Anything you could possibly want, we've got it. So how about you let me go?"

"I'd much rather watch you die," The man growled.

"Okay, well, here's another thing," Kol continued as he propped his head on the bars; he was so tired . . . "My family really doesn't care about me much, see. And they're spread out around the world, in any case; Finn high tailed it out of here when Klaus killed his lover, Klaus has been taken care of by a _lovely_  witch, my sister is off cavorting with her new girlfriend, and Elijah is probably in a business meeting somewhere in Prague. They're not going to rescue me because they won't notice I'm gone. In all actuality, they would probably celebrate my passing with streamers and piñatas," Kol admitted.

"Oh, really?" the man said, clearly unconvinced.

"Yes," Kol nodded, "It's true. I'm unloved and unwanted-" Faster than he thought he was capable of while hindered with vervain, Kol snapped out at the man, making him quickly walk backwards a little too close to Stephanie's pen.

Immediately, Steph was up and had her hands around the man's neck. She pulled him back toward her pen and knocked the human's head up against the reinforced iron bars one, two, four times until the man slumped to the ground, dead and bleeding from the head.

"Nice teamwork there," Kol breathed and he slid back down to the ground. "Great . . . great work, everybody. Lemme just . . . take a . . . nap."

The blood dripped and spilled towards Elena.

"Elena," Stephanie called tensely. "Elena." She watched as the other girl's hand reached out and her fingers clawed towards the puddle, finally touching the life giving liquid. "That's it," Stephanie murmured. Elena brought her bloodied fingers back to her mouth and sucked as tears (of relief or pain at the fact that she was turning into a vampire, Stephanie would never know) fell from her eyes. Stephanie turned back to the dead man while Elena finished her transition and searched for the keys. Finding them, Stephanie shoved his body out of the way and then unlocked her cell.

She went to Elena immediately next and let her out. Already, the girl was looking much, much better. Elena gave a wobbly at her in thanks, but then stiffened. "Something's happening outside . . ." and then she was gone.

"Elena!" Stephanie yelled, but she had already disappeared. Muttering to herself, Steph quickly released Abby and Kol, (both helped themselves to the dead deputy) helping them out of the barn. When they got out to the front lawn, they found Elena holding Damon down onto the grass and Matt half sitting several feet away, holding a hand to his bloody neck. Around then were two dead deputies, and Pastor Young and Alaric were standing on the threshold of the the Pastor's house, not quite daring enough to step outside to face all the vampires milling around without any backup.

"Damon! Elena!" Stephanie called and limped to their sides. Behind her, she heard Abby disappear, though Kol lingered.

"Are they having sex on the lawn?" He asked far too curiously.

"I hope not," Stephanie muttered. She waited until the lovers in front of her separated, and then she helped Matt up and to Damon's car, with Damon and Elena following behind.

They were finally going to go home, sleep, and then figure out how to best deal with the Council in the morning.

* * *

With the sunrise came the Town Council at Pastor Young's request. They were still as his cattle ranch, the place where their original plans had fallen through. That morning Pastor Young would be fulfilling something that he hadn't even let Alaric in on, which had upset the vampire hunter who was sitting grumpily at the table. The rest of the Council milled around the kitchen in tense silence.

"Folks, by now you know that the vampires have escaped," Pastor Young told them gravely as they passed around vervain. "It won't be long until they retaliate against us. But fear not, I have been chosen to lead us into a new movement." He locked them all inside.

"What?"

"Soon, you'll be free to pass through the gates. And we'll all reunite in eternity."

"Seriously, Pastor, what's going on here?"

"We are the beginning," Pastor Young smiled and took out his lighter.

.

.

.

Despite the rough day and night he'd had, Kol had lingered at the cattle ranch, confident that he couldn't be harmed any further now that he was prepared and the Council was scattered and scared. Dawn came and with it people into the Pastor's house; Kol watched them all enter and none of them leave. And so he lingered, curious (curiosity killed the cat, his mother always said, but Kol knew that satisfaction brought it back), and listened in to the conversation.

_We are the beginning._

The explosion that followed was wholly unexpected. It was only after, when Kol had returned to the Bennett house did he realize how  _many people_  had been in that explosion.

Twelve.

Coincidence?

Kol didn't believe in them.

_We are the beginning._


	2. we're all weeping now, weeping because

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Here comes Frank and poor old Jim  
> They're gathering round with all my friends  
> We're older now, the light is dim  
> And you are only just beginning  
> O children.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait.

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.

.

 

"I’ll miss you.”

“Of course you’ll miss me; almost my _entire_ visit you were a crazy Original groupie.” 

“Well . . .”

“Oh, come here.”

Stephanie and Lexi embraced tightly, the blonde’s chin resting on her friend’s head.  They clutched at each other, as best friends do, not wanting to let go.  But eventually they had to, and they stepped back.  Lexi picked up her solitary bag of belongings, hefting it onto her shoulder.

“Stay out of trouble,” Lexi warned her with a pointed finger and an arched white-blonde brow.  “Don’t let Damon mess up your control lessons.  If he goes too far –”

“Lex,” Steph warned lightly.  “It’ll be fine.  He’s teaching Elena too and everything will be okay.  Trust me.”

“Alright,” Lexi gave in.  She frowned and her dark blue eyes involuntarily darted to the Salvatore Boarding House one last time, lingering.  “How is he, by the way?  That explosion that took out the Council members . . . Alaric was in there and I know he wasn’t himself at the time, but . . .”

“But they were best friends,” Stephanie finished grimly.  The thought of losing Lexi like that, or Elena or Caroline . . . “I know.  He’s at the Grill now, more than likely drunk.  Elena is beside herself as well . . . she thought of Rick as a second father.”

“At least Jeremy’s on his way home,” Lexi said. “He’ll help Elena keep her grip on her humanity.  Maybe you two will mend bridges.”

Stephanie pressed her lips together, disbelieving and more than a little uncomfortable.  “Maybe, but I don’t hold out too much hope for much more than a cordial relationship, if that, Lexi.  I was terrible to him and I deserve whatever he throws at me.”

“You know that’s not true,” Lexi reprimanded sharply.

“It is.” Stephanie folded her arms under her breasts.  “It’s okay, though.”

Lexi sighed.  “At least give me one more hug for the road.”  She stepped forwards and they hugged once more.  Stephanie closed her eyes and when she opened them again her best friend was gone, torn from her arms and vanished into thin air.  She looked down at her phone, checking the time.

“School or bar?” Steph asked herself wryly. 

It was a no brainer, really; Stephanie went to the bar.

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.

.

Damon sat in the Mystic Grill, twirling his bourbon in its tumbler and stared mournfully at the seat next to him.  If he only closed his eyes, he could just imagine Alaric’s gruff presence sitting next to him.  It was early morning, but Damon had been there nearly since opening.  Tired but determined footsteps trudged towards him and he didn’t need to look up to see Liz Forbes as she slapped down a newspaper in the spot Damon was looking at.

“This seat’s taken,” He muttered but he looked at the paper all the same, reading the headlines aloud.  “Faulty gas lines lead to tragic massacre at the Young farm.” Damon tossed the paper away as Liz sat in the stool on his other side.  He looked up at Liz with exasperation, “Really?”

“It’s better than Town Council blown up; police have no suspects.”  Liz’s eyes stared accusingly at him, “unless the perpetrator’s sitting right next to me.”

“Oh, you know I always take credit when I kill someone, Liz,” Damon drawled drunkenly, “but even I’m not heartless enough to orchestrate my best friend’s murder.”

Liz winced but hardened her resolve.  She leaned in close, nearly whispering into his ear.  “The explosion was triggered from inside; this was _not_ an accident.”

“You say that as a bad thing, Liz,” Damon said cruelly, “I mean, the Council is off our backs now.”

“I grew up with many of them, Damon.  They were my friends,” Liz stepped back and slammed her hands onto the bar, shaking Damon’s glass.  She breathed harshly through her mouth.

Damon was kind enough to wait until she got a hold of herself to growl back, “Well, your _friends_ tried to kill your daughter.”  Liz pressed her lips into a thin line and stepped back.  There was a moment of tense silence.  Someone cleared their throat and Liz and Damon turned their heads, both secretly glad for the interruption.

A man, someone Damon had never seen before, was standing between them, arms hanging at his sides.  “Excuse me, Sheriff.  I was hoping I’d get to speak to you for a moment.  I promise it’ll just be a second of your time; see, I’d like to talk about the explosion at the Young farmhouse.”

“Well, Mister . . .” Liz trailed off significantly.

“Jordan,” New Guy introduced himself, “Connor Jordan.”  Connor Jordan completely ignored Damon’s presence, which hello, _rude_.

“Mister Jordan, are you one of the insurance agents?”  Liz inquired.  Damon looked up at the New Guy with a critical eye; he was an average height to tall black man with a shaved head and dark, serious eyes.  He wore working class clothes and black leather, fingerless gloves.  He caught Damon looking him up and down and waved with his fingertips.

Connor Jordan stuck one of those hands for Liz to shake.  “No, no,” He corrected with a sly grin, “I’m more of an independent contractor.”  Connor side eyed Damon, who returned the wave with his fingers.  “Can we speak in private, Sheriff?” Connor asked.

“Of course,” Liz nodded stiffly.  “Just follow me.” 

As she led him away without as much as by your leave, Damon muttered, “Nice to meet you too, busy-bodied guy.”  He looked down at his drink and sighed when he heard another set of footsteps approach.  It was just what he wanted; more company.  Stephanie plopped down in the seat next to him, not Alaric’s seat thankfully, and waved the bar tender over.

“I’ll need to see some ID,” The barman said flatly.  “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Shouldn’t you mind your own business?” She snapped and then compelled him to get her a shot of vodka.

“Starting early,” Damon observed dryly.

“Says the vampire who has been drinking since breakfast,” Stephanie said pointedly and refused to look at Damon.

“Guilty as charged,” Damon drawled and took another swig.  “Aren’t you picking up Jeremy from the airport?  He’s got to get home somehow . . .”

“I doubt he’d want to see me, of all people,” Steph said sharply.  “I thought you would go, since you were the one to call him.”

“Maybe Kol can do it,” Damon mused idly.  “He’s clearly a very well trained pet Original.  I’m sure he will if Bonnie asks nicely.”  Stephanie rolled her eyes, which Damon saw.

He commented, “Good to know you’re back to your self-righteous, moody teenager shenanigans.”

“Drink your bourbon,” Steph commanded and Damon saluted.

The barman returned with Stephanie’s drink, which she threw back.  “A tumbler of this please, instead of a shot glass.”  The man nodded, still glazed, and disappeared again.

“Don’t turn into a slushy vamp on me now,” Damon told her.  “Aren’t you supposed to be my good influence now that you’re back on the right side of the tracks?”

“Hush, you,” Steph muttered and Damon barked with laughter.  He moved around in his stool, tired and drunk and just ready for the day to be over already. “Where’s Elena?”

Damon waved a hand.  “Around, somewhere.”

“Damon,” Stephanie glowered.  “You need to be keeping an eye on her.”

“Oh, look at the time,” Damon exclaimed unenthusiastically.  “It’s time to pick up Jeremy from the airport.”

“You’re too late.  I took a cab,” A low voice said behind them, making the vampires turn around.  Stephanie’s brows arched as she took in Jeremy’s form; he was taller and much more muscular, and he seemed to have a better presence than he’d had before - more confidence, maybe.  

Instead of commenting on any of these things, Stephanie murmured, “Nice haircut.”

Jeremy shuffled on his feet.  “Uh, thanks.” He looked to Damon with a slightly more aggressive approach.  “Elena said you had something you had to say to me?  And where is she?”

“Right, right,” Damon lazily – drunkenly, Stephanie corrected in her head – stood up and laid a hand onto Jeremy’s shoulder.  “ _I’m breaking your compulsion.  You’re home.  You have your own feelings and desires again.  If you yearn to ever return to Denver, it’ll be of your own free will._ There, done.  Can I have some more bourbon now?”

Jeremy blinked, stepped back a step.  He eyes, before glazed, were now startling clear and more than a little angry looking.  “Where’s Elena?” He repeated.

“Why do you guys think I know?” Damon grouched.

“Because she’s your girlfriend,” Stephanie pointed out, “who you love and want to see transition into a fully functioning non-ripper vampire.”

“Hey, we’re not alone here,” Jeremy muttered surreptitiously, “So quiet down with the supernatural stuff for a minute.” Stephanie twisted around to see what the sudden urgency was and became eye level with a small, pale girl with hair as dark as pitch.

“Jeremy?” The pretty girl made her way towards them, smiling and waving a little. 

Jeremy’s face was colored with surprise.  “April!  You look great!  How long has it been?”

The girl, April, shrugged a little and her eyelashes fluttered over her round, pale cheeks.  “A long time, ha.”

“Stephanie, this is April,” Jeremy fumbled, “ah, Elena used to babysit her when we were younger.  April that is.” His eyes flicked back between the girls for a few seconds and he jammed his hands into jeans pockets.

“At least until my dad dropped me off at boarding school.” April shrugged, but the smile was ever persistent. 

“Your _dad_ ,” Jeremy suddenly wilted as if remembering something. “April, I am so sorry.  Are you okay?”

“Who’s your father?” Stephanie asked gently.  Damon sank lower into his seat, snorting into his bourbon.

“Pastor Young,” April explained and instantly Steph and Damon perked their ears. “The faulty gas line accident was what killed him and eleven others of the Town Council.  Or so everyone tells me, at least.  And I haven’t quite figured out what to say about that yet.  Um.  I’m just, you know, not much for grief, I guess.”  She flushed, which on her pale skin, was very obvious.  “I just kind of stopped by because I’m avoiding registering at school.” April shrugged. “There will be so many questions about how I feel and I just don’t know what so about that yet either.  So, I saw some kids over here my age, and thought, what the hay . . . I’m babbling.”

“It’s okay,” Jeremy reassured her with a soft grin and Stephanie felt something squirm in the pit of her stomach.  “I can take you – I’ve got to re-enroll anyway.  I just got back from Denver.”

“Why Denver?” April cocked her head.

Damon hummed as Jeremy leveled him with a sharp and lingering glare.  “Family lives there.”

“Oh,” April nodded and then launched into a detailed story about something that had happened long before Stephanie and Damon had ever come to Mystic Falls, and Steph felt adrift.

“Do you guys want to be left alone . . . ?” Stephanie trailed off, unsure if her presence was welcomed.  It was nice to see Jeremy, but also awkward because of where they had left things off.  It wasn’t every day that your girlfriend ran off with her ex to save her brother and then return only to kill you without knowing you’d come back.  And this April girl was a ray of sunshine, which Stephanie normally would have appreciated, but with her current agitation about blood, it was rather unwelcome.

Clearly, Jeremy felt the same.  “Yeah,” He said, “I’ll see you later, Stephanie.”  His tone changed from an awkward fumble to strangely formal in a matter of seconds.  Steph tried to not let that bother her.

“Have fun, kids,” Damon drawled, “I’ll be here.”

“Not for long,” Jeremy predicted.

“Why?” Damon arched one sleek brow.  Jeremy lifted an arm and pointed at a harried Elena scurrying towards them.  Her brows were drawn into a deep furrow and her arms were crossed tightly across her midsection.  She looked stiff and uncomfortable – Stephanie felt a pang of sympathy for her.  Elena reached them and put a trembling hand onto Damon’s shoulder.

“This seat is taken,” Damon said preemptively even as he looked up at her, face softening.  “But if Steph moves, you’ll be fine to sit there.”

“No one is sitting right here, and not the point,” Elena snapped.  She winced.  “We need to talk.  Damon.  So, bathroom.  Now.” Elena pulled Damon off of his stool and dragged him away, pausing only to shoot April a quick hello, before leaving the remaining three bewildered.  The new girl quickly got over her confusion though, as she turned big innocent eyes onto Jeremy.  They left together and Steph heard April ask just who she was.

“Stephanie?  She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

.

.

.

“I really don’t think destroying the furniture is the best way to relieve stress, darling,” Kol drawled.  He stood in the center of the living room while Bonnie smashed a number of glasses in frustration with her magic.  The vases would magically combust and then seconds later, they’d glue themselves back together.  Rinse and repeat.

“They were able to drug me!” She snapped, curly hair whipping about her face.  Her lips were pinched into an angry frown and her dark eyes were boring into Kol’s skull.  Her hands were placed onto her hips in a stance of pure provocation; she wanted to fight someone, which was very clear.  “They made me helpless and I couldn’t do anything about it!”

“And they weren’t even supernatural,” Kol added offhandedly.  He’d very quickly put the pieces together at the explosion the previous night; there had been twelve people in that “gas leak” – twelve _humans_ killed.  Put together with what Pastor Young had said . . . it was just like the witches so long ago had said – a sacrifice for Expression.  Now if only he could get Bonnie to channel it . . .

Bonnie nearly roared at the mention that her assailants hadn’t even been vampires or the like.  “And they _took_ Elena!  Now she’s a _vampire_ ; a blood sucking creature of the night, my best friend.”  She fell backwards onto her couch and buried her face into her hands.

“Vampires aren’t all that bad.” Kol offered, “And they kidnapped me too.  Rather successfully as well, because of that absolutely _nifty_ spell you’ve got on me.” He arched his brows.

“I won’t take it off,” Bonnie said wearily.  “You’re a danger to everyone around you and probably yourself too.”

“Forget about me for a second,” Kol smirked.  “I know it’ll be difficult, seeing as beautiful and intelligent and fantastic I am, but try for a moment.”  When Bonnie looked at him, completely nonplussed and her fingers rose to attack him with a migraine, Kol hurried on.  “Think about that gas leak last night, darling.”

“It took out the Council,” Bonnie stated flatly, “or at least the active members that took me out, including Rick.” She winced at the mention of her history teacher.  Kol saw that it hurt her to think about the man, and idly wondered what that Salvatore vampire was doing in his grief over the bum.

He moved on.  “Right.  And how many people did that explosion kill?” Kol prompted.

Bonnie shrugged.  “I don’t know, Kol.”

“Twelve.”

Bonnie looked at him askance.  “Kol, why does the exact number matter?  People are dead – people that attacked me and my friends and I’m furious about it, but they’re still people nonetheless.  They thought they were protecting the town from vicious vampires.”  She clenched a hand, thinking about Elena again.

Kol wasn’t finished.  “What requires twelve human sacrifices?” He asked shortly, frustrated she wasn’t going where he wanted her to go with the line of thought he was providing.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes.  “Are you trying to say that someone killed those people on purpose?  For Expression?  Because _I_ think that’s wishful thinking on your part.”

“Come on, Bonnie,” Kol prompted, annoyed.  “A gas leak, really?  Darling, that’s the worst cover up I’ve ever heard of.  It was an inside job.  And I know who did it.”

Bonnie looked up sharply and stood, jamming a finger in his chest.  “Kol,” She warningly, “what exactly do you know?”

“I stayed, after, and listened,” The Original explained, “and that Pastor Young said some suspicious lark.”

“What?”

“’We are the beginning,’” Kol said slowly.  “Then the place blew up.”

Bonnie furrowed her brows.  “’We are the beginning?’  What does that mean?”

Kol shrugged.  “That, I don’t know.  As far as I do know though, is that it takes twelve human sacrifices for Expression and that Pastor Young had to have been the one to set off that explosion, killing them all on purpose.  I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Why would he do that?” Bonnie muttered.  “Compulsion?” She eyed him suspiciously.  “How do I know that _you_ didn’t compel him to do it?”

Kol rolled his eyes.  “Come on, Bonnie, when did I have time to do that?  In between the parts where they hosed us full of vervain?”

Bonnie sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.  “Fine.  Say you didn’t compel them to do it.  Who got the Pastor to commit suicide and murder eleven other people?”

“That, we’ve got to find out.  Who – besides me – wants a witch to channel Expression?”  Kol crossed his arms.  “Don’t you just love a mystery, darling?”

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.

.

Stephanie returned to the Boarding House to drink, convinced that her chances of running into other people and very uncomfortable conversations were a lot lower in her own home.  Turned out, she should have stayed at the Grill.

Tyler Lockwood rushed into her house, eyes wild and hands pushing into his gut as he stumbled through her front door.  He opened his mouth to say something, but blood dribbled out instead.  Stephanie dropped her tumbler onto the bar and ran to his side, letting the hybrid use her as a crutch as she slowly moved him over to the couch.

“Lay right here,” She murmured, “and don’t move.”  Stephanie went back into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until she found what she needed; the first aid kit that included tweezers.  The front door opened and slammed again and when Steph returned to the living room, found Caroline sitting next to Tyler with his hand clasped into his.

“Help him, please,” Caroline begged.

“Of course,” Stephanie went to their sides and gently pushed Caroline out of the way.  The blonde moved to stand across from the couch.  “Alright, Tyler, I’m going to take off your shirt,” Steph warned.  “It’ll sting.”  The hybrid nodded and Stephanie gently took the ends of his sweater into her hands and slowly pulled it up and over his head.  His midsection was exposed then, and she could see the three bullets in his gut.  Steph grabbed the tweezers and set to work.

She was extremely careful and removed each wooden bullet as delicately as she could, but both women still winced when Tyler grunted and screamed.  “Sh, here,” Steph handed him a piece of cloth to bite down on, and then continued her work.

Finally, Steph pulled out the final bullet.

“Please tell me that’s the last one,” Caroline begged and Stephanie nodded slowly, but her attention was focused on the bullet.

“These are especially designed,” She said aloud, “The length, the width . . . if you were a regular vampire, you’d have been dead.  You should count yourself lucky.”

Tyler spat out the cloth that had rested between his teeth.  “This guy knew what he was doing.  He had these fingerless gloves that were steeped in vervain; he was searching for a vampire and he didn’t hesitate when he found one.”

“These etchings . . .” Stephanie narrowed her eyes and used a finger to touch the side of the wooden bullet.  It burned straight through her skin and she snatched her hand back, shaking it.

“Are the bullets spelled?” Caroline asked and her head tilted in concern.

“I don’t know, but they’re certainly something . . .” Stephanie trailed off.

.

.

.

“How did I get wrangled into helping with this?” Anna wondered.

“Because you’re my girlfriend and a human and the Council’s death was a tragedy,” Matt offered.  They walked around the church and between pews, placing down programs for the memorial that day.  Matt was in dress pants and a button up maroon dress shirt.  The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

“Still doesn’t explain why I’m here.”  Anna was in a short black dress, straight black hair pulled into a side ponytail. 

“You’re being supportive to me and pretending to care about those people who died,” Matt explained and the dark haired girl nodded.

“Right.” She rolled her eyes, but in the process, caught sight of someone unexpected.  “Hey, look, it’s Elena.” She nodded towards another dark headed girl in an orange dress cinched around the waist by a thin belt.  “She looks . . .”

“Unhealthy,” Matt finished grimly.  “But she’s dead now, so . . .”

“No vampire looks like _that_ ,” Anna corrected with a sharp head shake.  She frowned.  “She looks ill . . .”

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Matt decided and strode off.

“Well, I guess I’ll just wait here,” Anna muttered to herself and continued to place down programs.  She moved farther away from Matt and Elena and found herself next to a girl around her stature, only a little curvier.  “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” The girl said, shaking her head.  “I’m just . . . thinking about what I’m supposed to say today.”

“Oh, are you . . .” Anna trailed off.

“April Young,” The girl introduced, “the daughter of the man who forgot to get his gas leak checked out.  Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Anna said. 

“Hey, what are you going to do . . .” April shrugged and then sniffled.  “Am I in the way?  I was just waiting for Jeremy to come back, but I can move.”

“No, you’re fine.  I’ll go,” Anna excused herself and passed Jeremy who was on his way to sit next to April.  She stuck out a hand and caught his elbow, surprising him.  “Whatever you’re doing with that girl, be careful.  She’s grieving.”

Jeremy gave her an odd look.  “Okay . . . Anna.” He left her and she wasn’t quite sure why she cared.  It wasn’t like she knew the girl or anything.  She just knew how it felt to lose your only parent in the world.  And it hurt to think about her still, and so she was sure April was having a terrible time of it.

When she found Matt again, he and Elena had parted ways.  “Where’d Elena go?”

Matt shrugged helplessly.  “She just ran off and yelled at me not to follow her.  I didn’t know whether to listen or to wait.”

“Call Damon,” Anna advised. 

Matt muttered something under his breath and Anna wished – not for the first time – that she still had her vampiric hearing.  “Yeah, okay.”  He pulled out his phone and dialed.  Apparently Damon picked up on the first ring.  “Hey, Damon, there’s something wrong with Elena . . .”

.

.

.

“Bonnie, are you home?”

Kol turned his head.  “It’s the Salvatore girl.  Want to let her in?”

Bonnie brushed passed him to answer the door.  “What do you want?”

“We have a problem,” She said grimly.

“Besides the fact that Elena’s a vampire and twelve people were just blown up?” Bonnie demanded.  “What else could go wrong?”

“Tyler was shot by a man today,” She explained and Kol perked up his ears, “with these bullets.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small cloth that she unraveled.  Inside were three wooden bullets.  “They burn to the touch and it might just be vervain, but . . . there’s some strange writing on them.”

Curious, Kol stepped closer as Bonnie examined the bullets and proclaimed they weren’t magic.  When he caught sight of them, his brows went up into his hair line.  “Not magic exactly, but something close to it,” Kol stated and both the girls looked up at him.

“Oh?” Stephanie asked.

“That’s the sign of the Five,” Kol explained, “Klaus and Rebekah know more about them than I do, but the gist is that they’re these magical vampire hunters.  They mean business.  It’s curious though, because I don’t think they’ve been around for a very, very long time.”

Bonnie looks at Kol, eyes hard and he notices the sharp contrast from her to Stephanie Salvatore; Bonnie is all sharp edges and Stephanie is folded into herself, but still somehow good.  Guilty, but apologetic.  Innocent looking.  Bonnie looked like a warrior.  Stephanie looked like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

“If the Five are here and alive, we’re all – to use a term of the twenty first century – very screwed,” Kol announced.

“You’re full of crazy theories today, aren’t you?” Bonnie asked, even as she invited Stephanie in and settled them in the living room to listen for an explanation.  Even Abby crept down the stairs to listen.

“They’re not crazy, and they’re certainly not just theories,” Kol scoffed.  “I’m positive the Council was killed for an Expression sacrifice and I’m all certain that those markings are of the Five.  The real question is whether it’s a real Hunter that’s using them.”

“Tell us about the Five, then,” Stephanie commanded, “And then explain to me what you just said about Expression.”

Bonnie leveled a glare at Kol and so he began to talk.

“Well, in the twelfth century and before my lovely brother locked me up in a box, there was a witch that created this organization of vampire hunters . . .”

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.

.

Damon immediately went to the church as soon as he received Matt’s hurried call.  He found Elena in the bathroom.  But it appeared that someone had beaten him there.

“Oh, it’s you again,” Damon said, eyeing the man from the Grill.  “Do you stalk small town funerals or something?” He knocked sharply on the door and his hand tightened on the dress he’d brought for Elena.

“In a minute,” She called Damon felt his heart constrict when he heard the pain in her voice.

“It’s me,” Damon murmured.

The door opened and the man leaned forwards.  Elena poked out her head and took the proffered dress from Damon’s hands.  “Sorry, I spilled coffee all over my dress.” She ducked back into the bathroom and sent Damon a wide eyed looked.  He nodded at her.  _I’ll take care of this._

“We have not met,” The man said as the bathroom door shut again.  Damon’s phone vibrated.  He glanced at the text from Stephanie.  NEW GUY – DANGEROUS.  DON’T TOUCH HIS GLOVES.  I’LL EXPLAIN LATER.  “I’m Connor . . . Jordan.” Connor Jordan offered his hand.

“Damon . . . Germaphobe,” Damon smirked.  “Ready, Elena?” he called.

“Yeah, just a minute,” She called back.

“So, what brings you to Mystic Falls?” Damon inquired lightly.  “Bible salesman?”

Connor chuckled.  “No, no . . . I’m in environmental cleanup.”

“Oh,” Damon flicked his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I heard you had a bit of an infestation.”

“Huh,” Damon nodded coolly.  “I wasn’t aware.  I mean, I breath pretty easy.”

“Uh huh.”

The bathroom door flew open.  “I am so sorry that took so long,” Elena apologized and Damon’s hand found hers.  He squeezed in reassurance and she squeezed tightly back.  He pulled her towards him.

“It’s perfectly fine,” Connor told Elena and Damon narrowed his eyes at the predatory look in his eyes.

“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” Damon told Connor airily, “because we love visitors and the scenery is simply to die for.”  He put a hand to his mouth.  “Huh!  Funeral pun!  Too soon?”  Elena gave him a ghost of a smile and gently swatted him.

“See you, Mr. Connor Jordan,” Damon said and brushed passed the man, hand in hand with Elena.

Once they were out of sight and hearing range, Damon asked quietly, “Are you okay?”

“That animal blood didn’t go down very well,” She admitted.

“I told you,” Damon rolled his eyes.

“I just don’t want to hurt someone,” Elena said quietly.

“You won’t, not if you let me help you,” Damon stopped her and cupped her face in his hands.  “The bunny diet isn’t exactly a sure fire way to live.  Look at Steph!  She needs moderation and so do you.”

Elena sighed.

“In the meantime, I have a solution,” Damon began and his own heart began to race.  He was excited and little bit nervous.  They walked towards the church Sanctuary.

“What?”

“Just come on,” Damon pulled her along, and dipped his fingers in holy water, crossing himself as he entered the Sanctuary.

“Damon,” Elena hissed, “you’re a vampire.  That’s – that’s blasphemy!”

“Quiet down, trust me and forget about that,” Damon urged.

“What is it?”

Damon and Elena found seats in the very crowded Sanctuary next to Jeremy, Anna, Matt, and Bonnie.  On Bonnie’s other side was Kol, being surprisingly well behaved.  Stephanie sat next to Caroline and Tyler on the other side of the room.

Damon and Elena sat down.

“Drink from me,” Damon whispered.

Elena furrowed her brows.  “What?” She hissed.  “Damon, we’re in a church.”

“It’s a personal thing,” Damon explained, “that vampires can do.  It’s like . . . vamp sex.”

“All the more reason to not do it in church,” She snapped and someone hushed her.  She lowered her voice.  “Explain,” Elena demanded.

“Vampires blood share sometimes, when they really care about each other.  Right now, since you don’t want to drink from the vein and I don’t have any blood bags, I thought this might be a good solution to your hunger,” Damon suggested.

“Right now? Really?”

“You’re starving because you refused to drink human blood,” Damon snapped back, “and you’re going to snap if you don’t do something.”

“I’ll be fine,” Elena turned away, “until the service is over.”

“Elena-“ Damon started, but Jeremy interceded.

“Let her alone, man.”  Damon rolled his eyes, but stopped pestering Elena.  “Hey, Elena,” Jeremy called quietly and Elena looked across Damon towards her brother.

“Jeremy!  You got here, alright,” She beamed.  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“You’re not going to ignore the issue of you having _him_ compel me,” Jeremy stated flatly and Elena deflated.  “But for now, I’ll let it go.  Just until after the memorial.”

“Right.”

“By the way, April was looking for you earlier,” Jeremy said.  “But I’m not sure where she went – she kind of just disappeared.”

Across the room, Stephanie spoke quietly to Tyler.  “What are you doing here?”

“Being sensitive to the community,” Tyler whispered.

“Even with a Hunter after you?  I explained about the Five thing, right?” She said shortly.

“Yeah,” Tyler nodded, “but that won’t scare me into running.”

“And if he shows up, I’ll kick his ass,” Caroline smirked.

“You didn’t listen to me at all, did you,” Stephanie said flatly.

“What is this about hunters?  And number fives?  You never explained,” Damon hissed.  Their conversation was so low that no humans could possibly hear it, though all of the supernaturals did perfectly clear – as if they were all sitting together, alone.

“They’re called The Brotherhood of the Five, actually darlings,” Kol joined their quiet conversation.  “That’s the collective term to describe the first in a class of supernaturally gifted vampire hunters.  It’s all very complicated,” Kol said, “but the hunters are dangerous.  They’re supernatural.  And our new friend Connor Jordan seems to be one of them.”

Kol was interrupted then, but it appeared as though that was all he was going to say on the matter.

“Before we begin the mass, we’d like to open the floor for anyone who wanted to say a few words,” Carol Lockwood stepped up in front of the crowd and the supernaturals’ conversation faded for the moment.  “I know April Young wanted to say a few words for her dad . . . April, are you still here, honey?”  There was a moment of silence, in which Jeremy looked around the Sanctuary for the girl.  Carol continued.  “Well, is there anyone else?”

Elena slowly stood.

“Come on up, Elena,” Carol said.

“What are you doing?” Damon hissed.

“I need to say something,” She said quietly and then went up towards the stage.  Carol moved a little to the left and Elena took the podium and adjusted the microphone.  She cleared her throat.  “I’m sure that April wanted to talk today, but found herself nervous.  I’m nervous too, actually.” Was that her voice shaking?  Was it from hunger?  Grief?  Fear of the new dangers in town?  Fear from the fact that even though Klaus was gone, there was a new hunter and someone killing people in droves?

“The worst day of loving someone is the day you lose them.”  She heard a drip of something thick . . . and it smelled . . .

“Did you hear something?” Elena heard Caroline whisper.

“Blood,” Tyler whispered.

“Nobody move.  Don’t turn around, it’s a trap,” Damon announced to their small listening supernatural community.

“The hunter is trying to smoke us out,” Kol observed admiringly, “he’s smart.” His voice turned dark, “I’d appreciate it more if he weren’t trying to kill us.”

Elena breathed heavily through his mouth, “And . . . I . . . um,” and suddenly Steph’s arms were around her.  The shorter vampire’s arms were strong as they circled Elena, and Steph’s footsteps were assured as she led her away.

“I got you,” Her friend whispered, “come on, let’s get you back sitting.”  The new Pastor’s voice was soft in the background as he asked everyone to open their bibles. 

“Stephanie, the blood,” Elena gasped quietly. 

“I know,” Steph said grimly and she took Elena to Damon, where she passed off her friend into his arms.  “Here, focus,” She whispered as Elena stuck her nose into Damon’s neck.  “Breathe slowly.”

“What’s the matter with her?” Matt hissed.

“She’s hungry and she hasn’t fed,” Stephanie murmured.

“Then get her out of here,” Matt told her.

“We can’t, there’s someone watching us,” Stephanie replied.  Even so, her eyes swept the church, searching for the hunter to no avail.

“Here, Elena,” Damon said and guided her face to an artery in his own neck.  “This’ll tide you over until we get out of church.”  Elena’s face was already changing.

“Are you sure?” Stephanie asked him.  “Have you shared before?”

“No, but it’ll be fine,” Damon hissed and Elena gripped him tightly; he gripped Elena’s elbows in response.

“You know how overwhelming it is the first time,” Stephanie shot back.

“We can handle it.”  Their voices were mostly background noise to Elena as her fangs slipped through her gums and then into the pale skin of Damon’s neck.  Blood gushed into her mouth and she drank hungrily – the only thing that kept her quiet was the pressing knowledge that they were surrounded by humans and an apparently supernatural hunter.  A moment later, Elena felt something more than her hunger sated; she could actually feel Damon inher mind.  It was a burst of pure Damon; spice and protectiveness and insecurity and love.  She was soon lost in him and felt herself open up and knew that he felt the same – he was lost in the sea of her thoughts as much as she in his. 

Suddenly hands were gently prying them apart, a feminine voice apologetically saying that they were beginning to attract attention.

Elena came back to herself and felt full for the first time since she’d turned.  She looked up at Damon’s face, his serene face.

“What was that?” She whispered dreamily.

“Blood sharing,” Elena was pleasantly surprised to find that his tone matched hers; happy and sated.  “Like I said, vamp sex.”  She would scold him later.  The wound on his neck healed, though a tiny part of her wished that some mark would be left – Damon Salvatore was _hers_.

“I feel like a voyeur,” Kol complained and that snapped Elena back to the present sharply.  They were in a church, surrounded by humans and a crazy hunter.

“Blood, I still smell it,” Elena stated, “I think it’s April.”

“Then we need to help her,” Jeremy joined their quiet conversation.  “If she’s in trouble, we have to help.  She doesn’t know about any of this supernatural stuff and I think it would be best if we kept it that way.”

“We can’t help her without exposing ourselves to the hunter,” Stephanie explained.

“Excuse me,” A voice interrupted at the microphone and everyone turned their heads.  It was Tyler.  “I would like to say a few words.”

“What is he doing?” Caroline hissed.

“Giving us time,” Steph realized. 

“No, he’s providing a distraction,” Damon said just as a bullet tore through the air and buried itself into Tyler’s chest.  Everyone immediately screamed and the people scrambled, rushing to get out of the building in case the shooter came for them next.  Damon jumped from his seat.  “I’m going after the hunter.”

“I’ll come too,” Kol announced.

“You can’t help,” Damon told him scathingly, “because of that spell Bonnie put on you.  S what are you going to do?”

“Be your cheerleader, of course,” Kol said cheekily.

“Right,” Damon rolled his eyes and they quickly ran out of the sanctuary and went to locate the hunter.  In the front of the room, Carol had dropped down next to her son while someone called an ambulance.  Caroline sprinted to his side as fast as she could without being suspicious, and fretted.  She ripped out the stake that pierced his chest from the gun.

Stephanie and Elena joined them after sending their human and witch friends out of the Sanctuary.

“I’m gonna find that bastard and kill him,” Tyler choked out when Steph and Elena got to them.

“Damon is way ahead of you,” Stephanie informed him and then turned to Elena, “I’m going after him.” She chased after Damon and Kol, only to find them both riddled with bullets and lying on the cold, hard ground.

“Where’ the Hunter?” She demanded. “And are you okay?” She leant Damon a hand.

He coughed, clasped her hand and let her pull him up.  “He shot at us and would have killed me.”

“But I saved him,” Kol smirked, “so, you’re welcome.”

“Thanks, Kol,” Stephanie said honestly and then repeated, “but where did the Hunter _go_?”

Damon waved a hand.  “Off.  Thataway.”

“What happened back in the church?” Kol asked.

“They called an ambulance and they’ll probably put Tyler in the hospital for appearances.  Elena and Caroline are with him,” Stephanie explained and they could hear the sirens.  “Matt, Bonnie, and Anna and Jeremy left together.”

The three vampires looked after the hunter’s truck.  His door was lying on the cement ground.  “Do I want to know?” Stephanie asked.

“Got a bit enthusiastic,” Kol shrugged.

.

.

.

Night had fallen, and Matt and Jeremy stood at the bar in the Grill.  Anna was behind the counter, and Matt about to join her.  They had to pay the bills somehow, after all, and somehow the Grill was still open despite the memorial and then the shooting.

They’d found Elena and everyone after the fact and learned that April had been tied up and injured above their heads the entire time.  Caroline and Elena had clearly been leaving something out, but they weren’t saying a word about it otherwise. 

Bonnie and Kol had disappeared.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask,” Matt said, “but how are you?  Um, how was the flight from Denver?”

“Fine,” Jeremy rubbed a hand across his face.  “I can’t believe Alaric’s dead though.  I mean – he was like a dad to us.  And then apparently he went evil.  And then he died.  All while I was at Denver, because Elena thought I needed to be protected.  I kind of understand and I miss the normalcy a bit but I’m also really pissed at her and Damon and Stephanie.”

“Sorry, shouldn’t have asked,” Matt muttered.

“It’s cool,” Jeremy sighed.  “I needed to get that off of my chest.”

“Not to mention,” Anna popped her head around the counter, “Stephanie’s free from Klaus’ compulsion and the big guy is desiccating underground right now.  So, there’s a plus.”

“There’s that, too,” Jeremy muttered.  “I don’t know to say to her.  I’m glad you’re back, but I’m really confused about what I feel for you now?”

Matt and Anna shrugged.

Jeremy’s phone buzzed and he looked at it.  “Speaking of, I just got a text to meet her somewhere.  Says to bring you guys too.”

Matt and Anna exchanged glances.  “Might as well,” Anna said and then hopped over the counter.  She and Matt clasped hands and went ahead.  Jeremy looked at the guy sitting a couple of seats down and noticed his very expansive tattoo.

“Nice ink,” He called and the man glanced up, surprised.

“Come on, Jeremy,” Matt called.

Jeremy caught up to them, and Matt clapped a hand to his back.  “I heard you back there; but Jeremy, that man didn’t have a tattoo.”

“Yeah, he did.”

.

.

.

Jeremy, Matt, and Anna went to the meeting place - the high school, ironically – and found that everyone else was already there.  Everyone but Bonnie and Kol, that was.

“What are we doing here?” Damon asked as soon as the trio seated themselves on a picnic table.

“We’re finishing the memorial we didn’t get to have,” Stephanie replied and began to hand out paper lanterns.  “We’ve all lost so much, especially recently, we’ve all become numb to it.  We joke about it, push it away . . . we need to just let ourselves grieve.”

“So we’re lighting paper lanterns?”

“Yeah.  It’s what we need to do,” Steph said firmly.

“No, Stephanie, what we need to do is find Kol and make his ass tell us everything else he knows about the hunter, and then find the hunter, and kill him.  We have more important things to be doing right now than this.”

Steph ignored him and took a paper lantern and lit it.  “This is for my Uncle Zach and for Alaric.”

“This is for Vicki,” Matt joined her.

“This is for my dad, and for Tyler’s,” Caroline said and lit hers.

“This for our parents, for Vicki, Jenna, and Alaric.” Jeremy said and handed a lantern to Damon.

He lifted his hands.  “No way.  Not doing it.”

“Damon, please,” Stephanie murmured.

“Not tonight, Stephanie.” He turned around and strode away to his car and everyone heard the door slam shut and then it sped off.

Anna took a lantern in his wake.  “This is for my mom.”

Elena took a breath and then a lantern.  “So, this is for my mom, my dad, Jenna . . . everyone that we’ve all lost, everyone this town has lost . . . and for me, I guess.”  One by one, they let the lanterns fly away into the dark sky.

.

.

.

“They’re floating lanterns into the sky, can you believe that?  Japanese lanterns are a symbol of letting go of the past . . . well, guess what?  We’re not Japanese!  You know what they are, though?  Children.  They’re all children, thinking that lighting candles or saying a prayer will make all of our problems go away.  Or pretending that Elena won’t end up like all the rest of us murderous vampires . . . they’re all stupid and delusional.”  He took a sit of his bourbon.  Adjusted his position on Alaric’s headstone.  “And I know what you’re going to say.  ‘It makes them feel better, Damon.’  Well, for how long?  A minute?  A day?  What difference does it make?  Because in the end, when you lose somebody, every candle, every prayer is not going to make up for the fact that the only thing you have left is a hole in your heart where that person used to be.  And a rock.  And a birthday card that I’m pretty sure spelled your name wrong.  So thanks, friend.  Thanks for leaving me to babysit.  I’m stuck here taking care of the kids.”

Damon sighed and stood, leaving the headstone behind.

“I miss you, buddy.”

.

.

.

“I want to do it.”

Kol looked up curiously from his place on the couch.  “Hm?”

“I’m tired of going to funerals.  I’m tired of going to memorials.  That text from Stephanie?  She wanted us to have a memorial for everyone we lost.  I’m tired of needing to do that, Kol.  I’m just so tired of death.”

“What, exactly, do you propose I do about that, darling?” Kol asked quietly.

“Nothing,” Bonnie said flatly, “There’s nothing you can do.  But there’s something I can do.”

“What’s that?” Kol could feel the anticipation crawling up his skin.

“I’m going to use the sacrifice to channel Expression,” Bonnie announced.  “And then I’ll finally be strong enough to kill people like Klaus – I’ll be able to help my mom by giving her magic back.  I can protect myself.  I can protect my friends.” She whirled onto Kol, dark eyes flashing.  “But, first, you’re going to explain everything you know about the hunters.”

Kol eyed her carefully.  The hunters were dangerous and he’d been planning on sharing at least some of the information eventually, but if she thought he would only part with it for a trade . . .  “What’s in it for me?”

“I’ll give you your magic back when I channel Expression,” Bonnie promised.  “But I refuse to remove the spell that keeps you from harming other beings.”

It was the thing that Kol had wanted for centuries – the goal he’d been trying to reach this entire time – all traded for some information he’d have given – for the most part – freely.  He could hardly contain his glee.  “Alright, then.  The first thing you need to know is about a man called Silas - Silas is an immortal witch, but temporarily put down and will stay that unless someone releases him.  The second thing you need to know is that you should _never_ release Silas.  I’ve traveled with witches, darling, and most were of the same opinion; Silas is a force not to be trifled with.”

“Why?” Bonnie wondered.

“He’ll bring hell on earth,” Kol warned darkly, “Just ask your mum about that.  He wants to drop the veil to the Other Side for various reasons, which would release all of the dead supernaturals – and I mean every single one that has ever died since the dawn of time.”  Seeing Bonnie’s horror, he nodded.  “See?  And you all thought that I was evil.

“There was only ever one coven that held Silas in high esteem.  I made sure to get rid of them before they could raise him from whatever pit he’s in."

Bonnie clearly disapproved of his killing, but she said nothing about it.  “What else?”

“Qetsiyah.  All I know is that she’s his vengeful lover and the one who put him down,” Kol shrugged.  “She was a witch as well.  It was one of her descendants that created the Five – they wanted to further her mission to make sure Silas was destroyed.  And there’s only one way to really kill him.”

“So the Five only want to kill Silas?  Then why attack Tyler and the vampires here?” Bonnie demanded.

Kol shrugged.  “Therein lies our dilemma, little witch.  Every other hunter has had a tattoo on his arm; this one, none.  It proposes a certain mystery.”

“What’s the significance of the tattoo?”

“It’s a map to the thing that can kill Silas,” Kol explained.  “No one knows what that is, exactly.  But the fact that we can’t see the tattoo or that it’s just not there is a strange thing.  I’d have to talk to Nik or Rebekah to see if they knew anything.”

“Well, we’re not digging up Klaus,” Bonnie warned, “and if Rebekah finds out what we did, she’ll kill us.”

“Elijah might know,” Kol offered.

“. . . he’s loyal to his family and that’s it,” Bonnie shook her head.  “No.”

“Well, Finn’s not welcome here, so I don’t know what to tell you, darling,” Kol said. “Anything else you want to know?”

Bonnie thought about for a long moment.  “Are you going to leave as soon as I give you your magic back?”

That was certainly not what he was expecting.  “Probably not.  I’ve found that I like Mystic Falls.  Although, if it’s a requirement to give me my magic back, I’ll gladly go.”

Bonnie was clearly weighing her options; Kol could see the wheels turning in her head.  He was a good source of information and he couldn’t cause any more trouble now that she’d effectively “neutered” him.  Finally, she came to a decision.  “No, you don’t have to go.  But don’t mistake this for affection; I still don’t like you.”

“Of course, darling.  I would never.”

“Then, let’s get down to business.  How do I channel Expression?”

Kol smirked.

 

.

.

.

Tbc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used.


	3. sympathy for the devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dig up her bones but leave the soul alone  
> Boy with a broken soul  
> Heart with a gaping hole  
> Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality  
> Kissing death and losing my breath  
> Midnight hours cobble street passages  
> Forgotten savages, forgotten savages.”

_._

_._

_._

Kol's eyes were closed when Bonnie did the spell, so he didn't see the look of concentration, pain, and pure satisfaction on her face as she performed Expression for the very first time.

He didn't see anything real, in fact; everything was unadulterated sensation. His mind was like a bee hive – buzzing and vibrating with new and old information. His whole body was tingling and shaking – he could feel adrenalin coursing through his veins, along with all of his borrowed blood. His heart pumped erratically and Kol felt a genuine smile spread across his lips. He could feel his very soul reaching out and the tendrils of his thoughts connecting with the hum of nature for the first time in over a thousand years.

How it all went so wrong, so quickly.

The shaking turned into violent convulsions and Kol's eyes flew open and rolled back into his head. All sound disappeared and the world went black, but the pain, oh God the pain and the feelings and thoughts of the natural world burned him. Kol must have dropped to the floor at some point because his head banged against the hardwood floor, but he barely felt the impact. His body jerked and seized until finally, everything turned brightbrightbright.

Kol blinked open his eyes slowly and oh God even that hurt. Everything ached – places that had never before felt pain were raging now. The ceiling was the only thing he could initially see, but if he turned his head –ever so slowly – Kol could make out Bonnie's prone form lying a few feet away from him. Her body was splayed out awkwardly, like a puppet, and her eyes were pure white as they gazed into Kol's.

"Bonnie?" His voice was croaky and his throat sore. Had he been screaming?

Bonnie blinked and the white dissolved into the usual dark brown, but the memory of their unnatural color was burnt into Kol's retinas. Bonnie lifted her head and propped herself up by her arm. "Kol? How do you feel?"

He barked a derisive laugh and almost threw up. "When I'm able to articulate more than a sentence at a time, I'll let you know." He fought his way into a sitting position and put his hands onto his knees. The buzzing in the back of his head was worse now, but if he focused, it wasn't necessarily bad. It was – almost familiar.

"Well?" Bonnie asked, "Did it work?" She dragged herself to her knees and then plopped down onto her couch. Kol didn't answer and instead reached for that familiar feeling – ah – yes, there it was. He looked over at her and murmured underneath his breath – and all of the CDs and DVDs and books on the shelves rose higher and higher. The curtains opened and the sink ran and Kol beamed.

"Bonnie Bennett, I could kiss you, darling," Kol breathed in wonder.

"Please don't," She muttered, but she was smiling a little too, at the fact that she had performed an extremely strong form of magic successfully the first time she tried it.

"How does Expression feel?" Kol demanded.

"It's . . . like nothing I've ever felt before," Bonnie looked like she was grasping for words, but they would not come. "It's just . . . beautiful. I've never felt so strong before in my life."

Kol muttered another ancient word and all of the things he'd levitated drop. He dragged himself up to his feet, still wincing. "I – thank you, Bonnie, really." It almost physically pained him to say, "I suppose I owe you one." Bonnie nodded absent mindedly.

"What – what have you done?" The two witches looked up and saw Abby standing at the base of the staircase, looking horrified. One of her hands was clutching her shawl around her neck, knuckles pale from the pressure she was exerting. The other was at her mouth, covering her lips in her shock.

"Mom, I can explain," Bonnie said quickly, happily, "I can give you your magic back!"

Abby was not nearly as thrilled. "Bonnie, you've gone against nature – against the spirits!" Abby shouted.

"I don't answer to the spirits anymore, Mom," Bonnie shook her head. She had to make her mother understand. "And neither do you. Come here." She went to her mother, but Abby ghosted across the room. Kol met her mid stride and restrained the young vampire in his strong arms. He looked up and met Bonnie's gaze.

"What have you done, Bonnie?" Abby demanded again and struggled in Kol's tight grasp. He didn't let go.

"I've channeled Expression, and so I can help you now," Bonnie explained, but if anything, Abby's frenzied movements turned even more hysterical.

"Bonnie!" Abby shrieked. "Why?" Her eyes were rounded and her hands trembling.

"Mom!" Bonnie was near tears. "Everything's fine, I didn't hurt anyone. Just listen to me!"

"No! You've got to purge that magic out of your system, Bonnie Bennett!" Abby turned furious eyes onto Kol. "And reclaim that magic you've given to that monster!" Kol recoiled sharply; he acutely aware of the emptiness he'd feel if Bonnie took it away again. He couldn't ever let that happen.

Bonnie tore her hands through her hair and turned large eyes onto Kol. "Take her memories away. Keep from remembering this."

"Bonnie, no," Abby shook her head.

"Mom, you don't understand," Bonnie explained, even as Kol eagerly snatched Abby again and made eye contact. He wouldn't lose his magic now that he'd just gotten it back. Never again.

"Bonnie . . ."

Kol compelled Abby. " _You won't remember this conversation. You have no recollection of Bonnie wielding Expression or I performing magic . . ."_

Bonnie bit her lip. "Have her go on a vacation. Jamie misses her."

" _Jamie misses you. You're going to go home and visit him for a few months. You'll email and call regularly."_

Abby blinked. "Bonnie, I hate to leave, but I just have this feeling that Jaime misses me . . ."

.

.

.

Tyler lay in his hospital bed, head resting on the pillow, body warm beneath the blankets. His chest had healed up fine, but for appearances' sake, he was staying, mostly for his mother. He even had a guard outside his room to make sure the shooter didn't return to finish the job . . .

There was the sound of scuffing shoes and then the hall was alive with the sounds of wrestling bodies and hard punches. Tyler's eyes snapped open. He lifted his head and then leapt out of his bed, hiding in the shadows of the hospital room. He waited. The door opened and the hunter strode inside carefully. Tyler jumped off the wall and onto the guy's back, but Connor had him by the throat with a needle in his veins only seconds later with his preternatural speed. The hybrid tried to move, but the hunter only smirked and held him tighter.

"Don't bother; it's paralytic." He reached down and opened Tyler's mouth, inserting a needle. He slowly withdrew something, werewolf venom Tyler's panic mind presumed, and then he put the liquid into a vial. "Thanks for the donation," The hunter said sardonically, "It'll go towards a good cause." And then the he was gone. Tyler strained against the paralytic poison in his veins and managed to get to his feet, but by the time he was able, Connor Jordan was gone.

.

.

.

Stephanie had woken that morning feeling the bloodlust; hunger gnawed at her belly, clawing its way through her throat. And so she'd taken to distracting herself. She got up, showered and dressed in skinny jeans, a pale blouse and boots, done up her hair, and went to work on her motorcycle that she kept stashed away in the garage.

Damon found in her the front yard, hours later. "Today looks like a nice day for a mid-life crisis."

"Yeah, well," Stephanie shrugged. "I was hungry." She averted her eyes and tried not to think about Jeremy or Klaus. Or blood.

Damon nodded and crossed his arms. "I'm off to save to the day again. Tyler was werewolf-venom jacked this morning and so now the hunter has some ready-to-go vampire poison bottled and ready to sell. I've got to go and fix it." He rolled his eyes.

"How are you planning to do that?" Stephanie felt compelled to ask. Really, Damon had some shortsighted plans.

"Well, I'm going to find him, and then I'm going to eat him," Damon said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Steph supposed that to Damon, it was. But really, like she said, shortsighted.

"I'll come with you," She offered. Anything to get her mind off of the burning hunger and it had the added bonus of keeping Damon out of trouble.

"Actually, I was thinking you could keep an eye on Elena while she goes to school today," Damon admitted, "You know, kind of a I-Suck-At-Being-A-Vampire Support Group." He smiled.

"Yeah, um, how is she doing, by the way? Is she eating anything besides your blood now?" Stephanie inquired.

Damon wiggled his brows. "Well, while blood sharing is oh so much fun – and she agrees with me – it's not the most satisfying, as you well know after snacking on Klaus, so we worked something out with Matt."

"And Anna doesn't mind Elena macking on her boyfriend?" Stephanie asked sardonically.

"Eh. Elena trusts Matt and Matt trusts Elena. Elena doesn't want to snack on her brother and Bonnie's out of reach, training her pet Original. Last option kind of thing, I assure. Anna will get over it."

"What about a stranger?" Stephanie questioned.

"Well, considering most of the town is on vervain, that's a little painful," Damon shrugged. "I wouldn't subject anyone to tell." His face turned thoughtful. "Although, I might be able to think of  _someone_  . . ."

"And  _you_  don't mind her macking on Matt?" Stephanie asked pointedly. She tapped her thigh with her fingers, full of nervous energy.

Damon purposefully looked up towards the sky; an aversion tactic. "Of course not. It's for survival."

"And blood bags won't suffice?" Stephanie asked dryly.

"We don't want her to turn into a ripper, now, do we? Blood bags aren't the real deal and I want her to be prepared around actual living, breathing, and 96.4 degree people," Damon explained, "So no, blood bags won't suffice." Stephanie nodded. She knew the difference intimately. "So, have fun at school, little sister, and let the grown-ups handle everything else." Damon finished and the waved a hand at Stephanie. "Go on. Have fun laughing at the stupidity of the modern educational system."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, but swung a leg onto her motorcycle anyway and revved it, driving off and leaving Damon in the dust. She arrived at school to find Matt walking away from a shaded corner, tucking a white bandaged wrist into his sleeve and giving her the side-eye. Anna met him at the school doors, looking distinctly unhappy but trying to trudge through the unpleasantness. She caught Stephanie watching and turned her head away.

Stephanie met Elena coming out of the same shadowed corner and waved. The vampires met in the parking lot and a yellow flyer caught their attention. Elena picked up and read. "There's a town curfew?"

"Tyler did get shot in front of everyone at a memorial," Steph pointed out dryly. "It would have looked like an assassination attempt at the Mayor's son to everyone else."

"If only they knew the real story," Elena rolled her eyes. They walked into school together and went to their new history class with a new history teacher. Elena closed her eyes and held her breath – Stephanie empathized. The pounding of everyone's hearts around her was about to drive her crazy.

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

"What a pair," Stephanie said lightly to diffuse the tension, "a newborn vampire and a rehabbing ripper going to school. I'm sure there's a punch line in there somewhere." Elena breathed out and giggled. Then she teared up. "This is the first time we've been in Alaric's classroom without him," Stephanie murmured in realization.

"First period and I'm ready to fall to pieces," Elena agreed. Suddenly there was a ruckus going on in the front of the room and the two vampire girls looked up to see someone they'd never thought they'd see in a school building – or any kind of learning institution really.

"Welcome one, welcome all to my anti-curfew party at my new mansion," Kol Mikaelson bore a shit eating grin on his face as he handed out brightly colored flyers. "There will be a keg, illegal drugs, and a whole lot of loud music. Hello, darlings, how are you?"

"And just like that, I'm not feeling sentimental anymore," Elena muttered and she sank in her seat.

"Hello Kol," Stephanie said pleasantly and the Original's grin turned luminescent.

"You two are, of course, invited," He smirked and handed them both flyers. "Parties are usually Rebekah's sort of thing, but I figured since she was in New Salem I'd throw one in her honor. The curfew is the sort of thing she'd boycott, anyway."

"Thanks, Kol," Elena deadpanned. "A party was just what we needed."

"Brilliant." Kol moved away in all of his happy energy, and Stephanie leaned over to whisper into Elena's ear.

"Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with a  _legitimately happy_  Kol Mikaelson?"

Elena snorted. "I smell disaster in the air. We aren't really going, are we?"

"Why not?" Stephanie asked. "Like I said, we're both hungry for blood and alcohol curbs the edge. It might be helpful."

"Keep saying that and I'll turn into an alcoholic before I'm thirty," Elena groaned. "You know, I'd always wondered if you guys just said that so you had an excuse to drink to excess, but then I actually turned into a vampire."

Stephanie smiled. And then it immediately turned into a frown as she saw someone pass in the hallway. "What is it?" Elena asked, twirling a piece of her long, pin straight brown hair around a finger.

"It's the hunter." Stephanie narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Elena immediately looked up.

"The hunter is here at school," Stephanie explained, and they quickly rose from their seats and took off after him.

.

.

.

"Do you mind telling me who you are and why I'm here? I'm happy to his miss Bio, but . . ." Jeremy trailed off. Actually, he kind of wanted to go to Biology so he could find a seat next to April. He found that the more time he spent with her, the less he spent agonizing over Stephanie and their relationship; and the less time dwelling on that, the better. He'd been apprehended by the strange man – who was deceptively strong – he'd complimented in the Grill the other night, and dragged into an empty classroom.

"I've been looking through your family's history," The man said and then tossed a file onto Jeremy's desk. "You and your sister have been through quite a lot of trauma in the last couple of years. First your parents died, your friend Vicki Donovan, then your aunt passed, and then your foster dad . . . you just attended funeral after funeral."

"What are you, a social worker?" Jeremy asked, knowing full well that this man was no social worker. He wasn't the type. "What do you care, anyway?"

"Because you saw this." The man rolled up his sleeve to expose his huge black tattoo.

"It's a . . . tattoo, big deal," Jeremy scoffed. What was this guy's deal? Jeremy hadn't thought that there was anyone more psychopathic that Klaus, but this man was proving him wrong . . .

"I call it a Hunter's Mark, as in a vampire hunter," The man said and the pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together, making Jeremy's heart race.

"Vampire? Haha, look, I'm sorry man, but that's a little . . ." Jeremy drawled off and hoped he was convincing enough.

"Jeremy," Connor Jordan stepped in front of him and looked down his nose at the teenager. "Like I said, I know your family's history in this town. So you playing dumb . . . just . . . makes you look . . . dumb." Through the tiny window of the classroom door, Jeremy caught sight of Stephanie's serious face. Relief filled him; despite their relationship problems, Jeremy knew he could always count on Stephanie to step in and save the day – at least, when she was sane. Elena appeared just behind her and both girls inclined their heads. Jeremy nodded.

"Well, why the show and tell? I don't even know you," Jeremy stated.

"Because the tattoo is invisible," The Hunter stated and Jeremy felt confusion rise in his gut, "to anyone other than a hunter or a potential hunter. So find me a vampire, and I'll train you. Teach you everything I know. I'm on Hudson off of route 13. Don't show up until you find a vampire." He started to walk away.

"How am I supposed do that?"

"Why don't you start by asking your friend with a bandage on his wrist?" Connor disappeared out of the door. Several moments later, Steph and Elena were crowding in the classroom, fluffed up and full of concern. It was always like it used to be.

But then Stephanie and he met eyes and Jeremy felt all of the tension between them simmer and boil over; her capillaries beneath her eyes grew dark and she looked down and took a step away. Jeremy licked his lips.

Elena was ignorant of the interaction as she patted Jeremy down as if searching for injuries. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jeremy brushed her off gently. When Elena didn't stop, Jeremy stilled her hands with his. Quietly, he murmured, "I'm fine, Elena. He just said spouted some crock about me being a Potential and then he gave me his address. I'm going to give it to Damon so he can check the place out."

"A potential what?" Stephanie questioned.

"A potential hunter."

"What does that even mean?" Elena demanded. "You'll become like him?"

Jeremy could only shrug helplessly, but whatever emotions of fear he'd felt were gone; now, he was only curious.

.

.

.

Damon received a text from Jeremy about the hunter's home location, and immediately went to investigate the place. It was a trailer a little off the road, but easy enough to find. Damon parked his car and stepped out, slowly taking in the trashy mobile home.

"Gotta say, it's not much," He said to himself and he slammed the car door shut. Damon loped to the front door, tapped on it and listened for any human occupation but there was none. He jiggled and then snapped the lock and opened the door. Damon stuck a foot forwards, but when he met no resistance, made his way inside. The trailer was full of a bunch of unfamiliar tech, and some vampire hunting gear, including stakes and loaded guns. Damon was painfully reminded of Alaric. "No time for nostalgia," He muttered.

Then his eyes wandered and it became very clear that Connor was no Alaric Saltzman; there were bottles of strange substances and papers strewn everywhere. He reached for one that looked like a letter and immediately two arrows flew out of nowhere and stabbed in the belly and the chest.

He choked.

Attached to the ends of the arrows were white strings that were connected to a bomb. Damon scowled and tried to pull one of the strings to test – the bomb rattled and he very quickly released the string. "Yeah, I'm gonna need some help." Carefully as to not trigger another flying arrow, he reached around for his phone and rapidly texted Stephanie.

HELP. COME ALONE.

.

.

.

Tyler was incredibly bored and he wasn't sure when he'd last been  _this_  uninterested in anything, ever. After his werewolf venom jacking at the hospital, his mother had brought him home and essentially said he was on house arrest until this Connor guy was found and dealt with. For once, Tyler hoped Damon found the guy first.

He tossed his football into the air from his prone position on the couch and caught it again. Repeat. Repeat five more times.

"So, this is where you've been hiding all this time."

Tyler craned his head back and caught sight of someone he hadn't thought he'd ever see again; she had wavy dark hair and matching eyes, a playful grin on her face, and beautiful tanned limbs with corded muscle beneath the skin.

"Hayley?" He demanded and he was already half way off the couch. He went over at the same time she charged towards him.

"Hey, Lock-wolf," She smirked and they collided into a warm hug. Tyler's arms went around her, resting on her hips and felt her strong hands on his shoulders. They laughed.

"I should have called you," Tyler said, tone turning apologetic.

"From your trailer park in Florida? You're such a dirty, rotten liar, Tyler," Hayley accused, but she was smiling as she said it so Tyler supposed he was in the clear. She spun around in a circle, pretty mouth dropped into an 'o' of awe as she took in his house. "This place is incredible. You're totally loaded!" Tyler pulled a 'Who, me?' face and lifted his hands from his sides, but Hayley wasn't finished. "I chained you up all over the Appalachians, I talked you through every turn, I helped you break the Sire bond; you could have told me that you were filthy rich." She hopped up onto an antique table and leaned forwards.

"Well, I never would have dreamed that you would follow me back here," Tyler said pointedly. "I didn't  _want_ anyone to follow me back. Werewolves aren't safe around Klaus and he may be out of the picture right now, but I doubt it will stay that way."

"What do you mean?" Hayley asked. "Didn't your witch friend do something about him?"

Tyler shrugged. "The guy is sneaky. And he's escaped before."

"Well, for now, I'm safe," Hayley declared, "and the least you could do right now is poor me some fancy rich people Scotch." She arched one perfectly shaped brow at him and Tyler felt something in him break.

"Fine," He admitted defeat. "I will absolutely pour you some Scotch. Have a seat."

.

.

.

Stephanie left Elena and Jeremy to themselves, promising to meet up with Elena at Kol's party, and then went to sort out Damon's mess. She went to the address Jeremy had texted to Damon and found a solitary white trailer in the middle of nowhere. Steph crunched the grass with her boots as she strode up to the door of the trailer and tore it open to see that Damon was standing in the center of the trailer, two arrows embedded into his flesh.

"Damon!"

"Don't move!" His voice was like a whip in the silence of the trailer.

"Why were you being so cryptic? And why won't you let me help you now that I'm here?" Steph demanded, hands on hips.

"Come here," Damon commanded, "but slowly. Cautiously. Don't touch anything."

Steph crept forwards and her green eyes widened fractionally. "Is that a bomb? Please don't tell me that's a bomb, Damon."

"Fine," He went for what managed to be a half shouldered shrug. "It's not a bomb. It's a kitten – an adorable, exploding kitten."

Steph fought the urge to smack her brother. Instead, she said, "Hold still," and she quietly and surefootedly made her way over to Damon's side. "Now, I'm going to have cut some pieces to tear the arrows out. Do whatever it is you need to do to keep _that_ ," She inclined her head to the bomb, "from exploding and killing us."

"I just have to not move," Damon assured her, "and that'll be a cake walk."

"You say that now," Steph warned. "Just wait until I have my hands in your chest cavity as I pull those out."

Damon winced at the thought and Stephanie grabbed a dagger off of the counter. She used both her strength and sharp end of the weapon gouge out the arrows, one and at time. As she did this, Damon reached for the letter he'd tried to grab before.

"Did you know the weird and nutsy Pastor Young at all before his kidnapping attempt?"

"Not really, no," Steph muttered and her tongue poked out of her mouth in concentration. Her fingers were deft and she prodded the arrow. The wound was grotesque looking – it kept healing over the wood and festered a little with some werewolf venom.

"Well, this letter he wrote is about sacrifice and war in Mystic Falls. He mentions a greater evil is coming," Damon read aloud. "Creepy."

"Crazy dude," Steph agreed and then she sighed. "Here, I think this should be good." She tore out the arrow cleanly and Damon breathed a sigh of relief. "One more to go."

Damon groaned.

.

.

.

Matt walked through the halls of the high school and besides Anna and Kol Mikaelson, he didn't see any of the people he usually associated with. Anna was in Pre-Calc. and Kol was handing out stacks upon stacks of flyers for his anti-curfew party in a strangely good mood. No one else was in school, or if they were, they weren't hanging around with him. Matt forced himself to not be bitter.

"What's that on your wrist?"

Matt stilled and turned around. Leaning against the cement bricked wall was the hunter, Connor. He was deceptively calm. "I cut myself."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Connor asked. He pushed himself forward and Matt took a step back. Connor followed. He grabbed Matt's wrist and ripped off the bandage Anna had carefully applied that morning, revealing bloodied, bruised holes. "Who are you letting feed on you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Matt said evenly.

"Are you sure about that?" Connor took hold of Matt's shirt front and dragged him into a corner and pushed him up against a wall. Matt had to lean forwards to avoid getting his head knocked against the stone wall. Connor pulled a knife and Matt paled. "Tell me which of your high school friends is a vampire." He put the knife to Matt's neck and put pressure onto his throat, making Matt's pulse skyrocket. "Who is it?"

An image of Kol handing out flyers flashed into his mind. "It's – it's Kol. Kol Mikaelson is a vampire."

Connor's face broke out into a grin. "Thanks buddy. When you wake up, he'll be long gone." Matt felt his head crash against the wall again but this time, everything went dark.

.

.

.

Jeremy, after dodging Stephanie and Elena, went to the address the hunter had given him; he was curious. When he arrived at the trailer, Connor was there, whittling a stake.

"You got me a vampire?" Connor asked without looking up.

"No . . ."

"Then what are you doing here?" The hunter asked, glancing at Jeremy's face.

"I want to know more about this hunter thing," Jeremy admitted.

Connor tilted his head. "You know much about vampires then, Jeremy?"

"Some," Jeremy agreed hesitantly. Jeremy didn't want to give away his sister and the others, but he wanted Connor to trust him enough to let him know what the hell was going on with him.

Connor nodded slowly. "There's a problem with vampires, besides the fact that they are vampires, of course. They spread like a disease – they're an infestation. That's what you've got in this town, Jeremy; an infestation of vampires. One of them is even throwing a party." He stood and slung a bag over his shoulder.

"Is that where we're going? To this party?" Jeremy asked eagerly.

"Nah; as long as there are people drinking at this party, I've got it covered," Connor shook his head. "We're not going anywhere. You're going to find me a vampire or else I'm not telling you anything more. Got it?"

Jeremy licked his dried lips and nodded. "Fine." He turned and started to walk away, leaving the hunter to his whittling. There was no way he'd betray one of his friends and Kol was annoying, but harmless now and un-killable. There had to be a way for this guy to give him some more information . . . or there had to be someone else he could get it from.

But what was that he'd said about the drinks at Kol's party?

.

.

.

Stephanie left Damon to regroup and went to meet Elena at the party. She found her and Caroline milling around the keg, cheering on the football team as one of the group chugged cup after cup of beer. She ghosted to their sides quietly, but they immediately recognized her presence.

"Steph! I'm glad you're finally here," Caroline grinned. "I have to get going – I'm meeting Tyler at his place because his mom put him on like house arrest or something – but I didn't want to leave Elena alone. Now that I know she's in good hands, though . . ." She hugged Steph and then Elena and disembarked to, apparently, check on her home ridden boyfriend.

"Had any beer yet?" Elena offered her a cup. "Caroline declined on the grounds that apparently Ms. Lockwood can smell the stench of alcohol a mile away."

Stephanie took the red plastic cup into her hands. "Knowing that she has Tyler for a son, that doesn't really surprise me."

Elena grinned but the smile faltered when a teenager wandered a little too close. She had to shake herself to keep from going after the girl – and her blood. "I need to get drunk," She announced, "Roaring, raving drunk."

She lifted her glass and Steph tapped hers with it ruefully. "I'll toast to that." They drank and then headed inside. There was no barrier, making Stephanie frown in contemplation.

"We didn't have to be invited in. I wonder who used to live here."

"More like who died here," Elena corrected morbidly. They found Kol ahead of them, socializing. "I wonder what's made him so cheerful. I mean, he's usually sarcastic and gleeful, but it always seemed so artificial. There's something about him now that's . . ."

"Genuine," Steph nodded with narrowed eyes. "I don't know what he's got to be so happy about," She said truthfully, "His brothers are either missing or paralyzed and his sister is miles away."

"Maybe that's why he's happy," Elena said jokingly, "Crazy family drama and everything." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of April Young. "Hey, look who it is. I'm going to go talk to her."

Stephanie drained her cup of beer. "And I'm going to go find something stronger than this cheap stuff. Have fun talking." She saluted with her cup as Elena disappeared around a corner. She sighed when she was out of sight and went searching for vodka or bourbon or even whiskey. Anything stronger than the watered down American beer Kol was serving by the keg.

Stephanie wandered the cavernous mansion, different from the place Klaus and they had stayed – thankfully – and if it weren't for her vampire senses, she would have gotten herself lost. As it was, she could not find the alcohol cabinet, so had to concede defeat and head back for the main party.

Close to the foyer, Steph found the surprising sight of Anna and Matt making out in a secluded corner. The world tilted sideways at the same time and Stephanie stumbled backwards into an end table with a glass vase. The vase shuddered, but didn't fall, and Anna and Matt were alerted to her presence. Their faces were pulled into almost comical expressions of surprise, and their clothes and hair was askew.

"Sorry! Sorry, I'm going," Steph muttered, shielding her eyes and stumbling away from the couple and into the sunlight. She blinked and the dizziness disappeared. Someone handed her another cup, which Stephanie drank candidly, eager to forget her bout of dizziness and the aroma of blood around her. Across the lawn, she caught sight of Jeremy.

She watched him for a moment; he was smiling, actually grinning, and talking animatedly with someone out of Steph's line of sight. His brown hair was a little spiked and rumpled, and he waved his hands energetically as he spoke. He was happy. Stephanie took a step forwards to join him and maybe say hello, but a fellow partygoer moved and she was able to see who exactly Jeremy was talking to: April Young.

Steph sighed a little mournfully and a realization came to her; their relationship wouldn't ever be what it had been. Their foundation hadn't been strong enough to weather the storms of her ripper days, or if they had been, his time away from Mystic Falls had made the teenager realize something about himself. Maybe he wanted a nice, human life with a sweet, human wife. They could grow graduation high school and go to college and grow old together and have children. It would be normal.

If that wasn't what Jeremy wanted, he would have to take the first step.

Stephanie turned away just in time to see Elena standing on her hands on top of the keg that was lying horizontally on the ground. She had the hose in between her lips and was sucking down the beer like it was water. Steph wandered a little closer and began to clap with her classmates as Elena just kept going. The new vampire finally gave up the hose, just when it was becoming suspicious, and performed an extravagant flip off of the keg.

"Congratulations, but I have to ask, did you get tired of your conversation with April?" Stephanie asked and somehow there was still beer left in the keg, as someone handed her another glass. She drained it.

Elena was grinning ear to ear from her exploits, but the corners of her lips turned down at the mention of the younger girl. "We talked some about her father. Then Jeremy arrived and wanted to speak with her."

Stephanie nodded and reached for another cub. "Nice job, there," She waved a pointed hand loosely at the beer keg.

Elena smiled a little. "Thanks. You ready to go home? I can hear some sirens in the distance; sounds like this party is about to get busted."

"And then all the teenagers here will get tagged, bagged, and shipped back home," Stephanie nodded. "Sure, let's go. My motorcycle is still sitting up front, hopefully."

The vampires made their way out of the mansion to the front, where by some miracle Stephanie's bike was still there and untouched. Stephanie swung her leg over and settled while Elena hopped onto the back and gripped Steph's midsection. "Grab a helmet," Steph instructed and Elena gave her a dry look.

"It's for appearances," Stephanie explained, "and also, you really don't want to scrape your brains back together to heal if we get into an accident." Elena made a disgusted face and quickly pulled her helmet on, making Stephanie smirk. She revved the engine and sped off the property and headed home.

.

.

.

Jeremy excused himself from April's company after a while, and went to do what he'd come to; find his sister and Steph and tell them about Connor's weird behavior about the drinks at the party. But by the time he found them again, they were driving off in Steph's bike. He hollered after them at first, but when they didn't stop, he sighed and lowered his hand.

And he promptly narrowed his eyes when the motorcycle began to wobble. "What the hell?" Jeremy began to jog towards them and the bike swerved sharply to the left. His gate turned into a flat out sprint. The motorcycle had swerved off the road and into an empty field of flowers, throwing her passengers' flying head over handlebars. The bike kept going and then exploded into a hot and bright flurry of fire, and Jeremy had to duck and cover his face to keep from being hit by debris.

"Elena!" He shouted. "Elena! Stephanie!"

Jeremy ran towards where they'd been flung, giving the burning and smoking bike a wide berth, and knelt next to Elena. She was burned all down her arms and around her face and it was healing slowly –too slowly. He gently swatted at her face. Her eyes groggily blinked open, but they were filmy and unfocused. "Elena?" Jeremy whispered. "Come on, wake up." When she continued to blink hazily at him, but nothing else, Jeremy regrettably left her and hopped over to Stephanie's place a few feet away.

"Steph?" She looked tiny in her tattered leather jacket, and her whole body was battered and burned. "Stephanie, hey, come on now. Wake up." Jeremy patted her face to rouse her and got the same reaction as with Elena. He sat back, frustrated. An ugly idea was forming in the back of his brain, but he didn't want to think about it, lest it be true.

But the pieces were coming together and it didn't look pretty. What were the odds that his sister and her friend wouldn't drink at a party; especially when they were both trying to distract themselves from a vampire's primal hunger for blood? Connor had mentioned something in the drinks and only that morning he'd werewolf venom jacked Tyler Lockwood.

"Damn, oh damn," Jeremy cursed and kept up the stream, even as he picked up his phone and dialed Damon's number.

It rang for several seconds, and then when he answered, Damon wasn't happy to hear from Jeremy. "What do you want, little Gilbert?"

"I think I figured out what the hunter did with the werewolf venom," Jeremy said grimly as his eyes swept Elena and Stephanie again. "And it's not good."

"I'm listening."

.

.

.

When Kol's vision had started to double and blur, he'd at first thought maybe he'd had enough to drink. But then he began to see dead people.

"Look what you've become," Mikael spat, "Just like any other frat boy throwing a high school party. You're immature and selfish – you throw temper tantrums whenever you get mad. What's it going to take for you to grow up, Kol? You've already  _died_."

"No thanks to you.  And funny, I thought  _you_  were dead," Kol mumbled through stiff lips. The police had come taken the other teenagers away to their homes, but Kol had hidden in the shadows. Now his house was trashed, but empty. His phone kept ringing, which was irritating. "Guess Nik didn't do a well enough job."

"Do not get me started on your brother," Mikael growled.

"Then don't start," Kol snapped and waved an unsteady hand at the apparition. "Go 'way, Father." He pushed himself to his feet and wondered when he'd fallen to the floor. He drunkenly walked through the halls and dragged himself up a staircase to his new bed. He collapsed into it.

"You betrayed me," Klaus suddenly roared from a corner of the room, startling Kol, "for that Bennett witch!"

"She's pretty," Kol admitted, "and she gave me my magic back. It's not like you're really dead or anything. It's just like you've been daggered." Inexplicably, he giggled. His phone rang again.

His mother appeared next to him.  "You've committed a terrible wrong, Kol," Esther said disapprovingly, "showing that innocent girl how to channel Expression. What do you think will come of it?" Mikael had disappeared and Klaus was silent in his mother's presence.

"Hush, you, I'm answering the phone," Kol snapped again and finally picked up his cellular phone. "Hullo?"

"Damn you, I've been calling for nearly an hour," Bonnie's harried voice said on the other end. Huh. An hour? "Kol? Kol, answer me."

"Expression will overtake her," Esther warned, "It will blacken her soul, like it did those witches you met when you were a child. You can't think having that much power is good. And look what you have made her do – giving you back your magic is against nature, dear. Do you not feel its anger? You're an abomination, especially now that you're two supernatural things."

"Just like Nik," Kol giggled. "Instead of a werewolf-vampire hybrid, I'm a witch-vampire hybrid."

"Kol!" Bonnie shouted. "What are you talking about?"

"Sorry, Mum's annoying the shite out of me," Kol said blithely and turned away from Esther, "What was that?"

Bonnie became very quiet.

"Kol," She finally said softly, "did you drink the beer?"

"Of course I drank the beer, it's my party," Kol told her and he fell backwards onto his back, head smacking the headboard and then the pillow. "Ow," he said belatedly.

"It was infected with werewolf venom," Bonnie said slowly. "That's why you're hallucinating about your mother."

"And Father and Nik," Kol pointed out.

"And your father and Klaus," Bonnie repeated. "Okay. Kol, is there any spell I can do to fix this? Elena and Stephanie are sick too."

"Nope," Kol popped the 'p'. "I'll heal, I should think," His eyes wandered but he tried to make himself focus. For Bonnie. "But the girls will need Klaus or else they're goners."

"Can't I do anything with Expression? This is why I channeled it," Bonnie demanded.  "So I could help my friends."

"Sorry, darling," Kol muttered as Esther shook her head slowly. "You need Klaus."

"Do not let her awaken Niklaus," Esther warned, "That is the one thing you've done right, my son, and that will come undone if you reawaken your brother."

"Shut up!" Klaus roared back into Kol's room. "You shut up!"

"Kol!"

"Sorry, darling, but I really need to stop Mum and Nik from breaking anything," Kol mumbled and then promptly threw up onto the carpet and dropped his cell phone.

.

.

.

Tyler opened his door and a flying flurry of blonde joy jumped into his arms. He automatically put his arms around Caroline and she was grinning at him. "I ditched Kol's anti-ditch party to come be with you." She lowered her voice, "Let's sneak out."

Tyler smiled. "Sorry, Care."

"You're kidding me," Caroline dropped her arms.

"You should go back to the party," Tyler told her, feeling guilty about Hayley hidden away upstairs. "Have fun."

"I'd rather hang out with you," Caroline said and she sounded hurt. Damn it.

"Not right now," Tyler said, shaking his head. "Maybe later."

Caroline stood forlornly at his door. "Okay, I guess. See you later, then?"

Tyler mustered up as warm as a smile as he could. "Of course. I love you." Caroline waved a little and disappeared down the steps.

"So, was that the girlfriend?" Tyler looked up and saw Hayley, standing at the top of the stairs. "What am I, your scarlet woman?"

"I just didn't want Caroline to get jealous. She's a little neurotic," Tyler explained hastily.

"Right."

.

.

.

Damon arrived and he and Jeremy managed to get Elena and Stephanie back to the Boarding House, where their conditions had rapidly deteriorated. Elena was lying in Damon's bed and Steph in her own room, and so Damon was at a loss of who to sit with – so he sat with neither and began to plot.

"So they're poisoned," Damon said to himself and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course they are." He'd called Bonnie, who had been strangely out of contact all day, and she said she would look up some stuff after she made a few calls. He was expecting her to call back any moment now. Footsteps on the stairs drew Damon's attention.

Jeremy was uncharacteristically grim. "They don't look good, Damon. They've both woken up, but the hallucinations have started."

Damon's phone rang shrilly. "Hello?"

"The only thing we can do is revive Klaus," Bonnie's voice was grim and full of an underlying anger. Damon could understand; they'd finally found a way to kill the bastard, and now they needed him? His life was full of irony.  "I'm already where we stashed him.  It'll just take a second and then he'll be over."

"Are you kidding me?" Damon asked anyway.

"No," Bonnie said gravely. "There's nothing else to do. I'll be over with Klaus as soon as possible." She hung up.

"Wonderful," Damon growled and angrily slammed his phone onto the table. "Just wonderful."

"What?" Jeremy asked sharply. "What did Bonnie say?"

"She has to wake up his Original Ass." Damon brushed passed Jeremy and headed up to check on his sister. She was sitting up in her bed, but her eyes were glazed. He lowered his voice into some variation of the tone he'd used to speak to her with when she was just a little kid. "Hey, Stephie, what are you doing sitting up? You're sick."

Her pallor was ghastly and Damon could see that the venom had blackened her veins. She was sweat drenched and her eyes looked hollow and he could barely stand to look at her, let alone Elena like this.

"Why are you here?" Stephanie suddenly asked.

"Because I'm your brother," Damon told her. "And I care about you."

"You're a liar," Stephanie said, but her gaze was somewhere off to the far left. "A dirty, rotten liar," She whispered and Damon sighed.

"Probably," Damon agreed and he rose. He went next door and found Elena in his bed, laid up and in the same condition as his sister. "Elena?"

She blinked hazily. "Dad?"

Damon deflated.

"Nah," Damon said, "but I think I'm a bit better company." He moved to lie beside her and pulled his girlfriend into his arms. She sank into his embrace.

"Isn't this cozy?" Damon looked up sharply and saw a face he'd never wanted to see again.

"Klaus," Damon curled his lip. He swallowed his pride. "Thanks for coming."

"It was no problem, as soon as your lovely witch friend and my brother woke me up and informed me my beloved and her best friend were bed ridden with werewolf poison," Klaus explained with his ever present grin. It fell, suddenly. "Let it be known that if it weren't for my affections for Stephanie, this wouldn't be happening."

Through his teeth, Damon spat, "I know. Just fix them."

Klaus strode over to the bed and pulled Elena into his arms. He bit into his wrist and then fed it to the young vampire. Slowly, she drank and Damon could see the life – metaphorically speaking – fill her up again. She blinked rapidly and when she saw who she was drinking from, immediately dropped Klaus' wrist.

Klaus' eyes twinkled. "So I see that you know what blood sharing is to a vampire?"

"Yes," Elena ground out.

"Good." Klaus rose and left without another word, leaving the happy couple to themselves. Downstairs, Bonnie was standing in the living room while Kol drunkenly lay on the Salvatore couch. Klaus had decided his punishment for helping put Klaus down would be to suffer it out. The humans Matt and Anna had joined them shortly, along with the bubbly vampire Caroline.

Klaus ignored their presences and went into Stephanie's bedroom. She was prone on her bed, curled up. He ghosted to her side and cradled her face into his hands before he pulled her close to his chest, letting her nose rest against his pulse in his neck. Slowly, her fangs dropped and she bit into him, and Klaus enjoyed the sensation as she pulled the blood from his veins.

When his blood did its work and Stephanie was healed, she immediately ghosted away, nearly spitting fire. "What are you doing here? What was going on?"

"You were ill," Klaus explained blithely and stood, letting the blood on his neck stay there, stained. "Werewolf venom is nasty stuff, love. I had to come and save the day, as they say."

"Get out," Stephanie pointed to the door. "Get out of my house."

"No thanks?" Klaus inquired.

"Thank you, now  _get the hell_   _out_ ," Stephanie snapped.

Klaus smirked. "As you wish, love." And he disappeared down the stairs to find the group waiting for him. "They've been cured, so I think I'll take my brother and leave."  Matt rushed up the stairs, and he was followed very quickly by Caroline, but after Klaus scooped up a singing, tone deaf Kol, Bonnie followed him.

"Listen," The little witch said, but Klaus didn't pause. "Listen to me!" The wind whirled around them and it seemed like the very earth rumbled. Klaus stopped dead.

"You're more powerful," He observed tightly.

"Expression is a beautiful thing," Bonnie said emotionlessly.

Klaus' body was taut with raw energy. "So it was true."

Bonnie ignored his statement and pointed a finger into his chest. "Listen," She repeated again, "I'm more powerful now, and I can take you out any time I need to. So behave. And don't hurt Kol."

Klaus quirked an eyebrow.

"He can't defend himself," Bonnie explained further. "Due to a spell I put on him, he can't commit violence. It was a part of our deal."

Klaus' lips thinned. "Take it off."

"No."

"Take it off!"

The earth rumbled again and Klaus was flung off his feet and Kol rolled off in the dirty, still hallucinating and singing off key. "I'm calling the shots now, Klaus. The spell stays, and if you're not careful, I'll slap a matching one onto you." Bonnie straightened up. "Now. Take Kol home and do whatever the hell you're planning. But if you hurt him, I'll find out. If you hurt any of my friends, I will find out. And if you do, I'll end you."

Klaus rose to his feet bitterly and scooped up Kol. "You win this round, witch." Next time, he swore in his head, I'll get you.

Bonnie tilted her head back. "I'll win every round, Klaus. So don't hold your breath."

"Good thing I don't need to breathe, then." Hiking Kol into a fireman's carry over his shoulders, Klaus left the little witch standing alone on the Salvatore Boarding House lawn.

.

.

.

tbc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any quotes used.


	4. this lack of self-control i fear is never ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This will never end  
> 'Cause I want more  
> More, give me more  
> Give me more
> 
> "This will never end  
> 'Cause I want more  
> More, give me more  
> Give me more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used/borrowed. Terribly sorry for the super long delay. On the positive side, I’m on Christmas break now!

_._

_._

_._

Kol woke up feeling like he’d been run over a semi-truck.  Repeatedly.

“There we are,” A familiar voice drawled.  “It was about time, too.  I was beginning to think I’d made a mistake in not giving you some of my blood.”

“Klaus,” Kol groaned and blinked up at the ceiling.  He regained his bearings and extended his senses – all of them.  He had weapon against Klaus now, one the hybrid wouldn’t be expecting.   Bonnie’s spell would prevent him from doing anything violent, true, but Kol could create a harmless diversion with a spell of his own . . . “What are you doing up again?”  His mind was too foggy for this.

“You and the Bennett witch woke me up, don’t you remember?”  Kol focused on his brother, who was sitting in an armchair across the bedroom, looking particularly smug.  “You and a few others had ingested some werewolf venom that a hunter put into your kegs.”

“You’re being awfully accepting about all this, mate,” Kol said as he dragged his body up into a sitting position.  His head was beginning to clear and his memories were coming back to him . . . and a few questions.

“Well, I thought that you had suffered quite enough after ingesting some of that werewolf poison.” Klaus shrugged and put his fingers together in a steeple.  He tilted his head and his blue eyes bored into Kol’s as if searching for something.

“And now you’re going to extract your real revenge, is that it?” Kol asked and felt his gums itch.  He was hungry.  He put that aside for the moment though – he never knew if Klaus would try and dagger him and it wouldn’t do for Kol to be distracted if that were to happen.  Better be safe than sorry, Kol thought, and knew just the thing to keep Klaus interested rather than bored or vengeful.  “Before you do that, though, I had a bit of a question for you.”

“Hm?” Klaus was smiling smugly, examining his nails, pretending to be disinterested.  But Kol could see his slightly bunched brows and could hear the slight tapping of Klaus’ right foot.

“I was wondering – how do you propose we get rid of this Hunter of the Five that we’ve stumbled upon here in good old Mystic Falls?”

Klaus’ artificial good mood immediately died.  “A _what_?”  The dramatic change was almost comical; his body had turned taut and he was leaning forwards, blue eyes clear and demanding.  His fingers were pressed tightly into his knees, fingers curled like claws as they dug into his trousers. 

Kol leaned back in his bed, laced his fingers behind his head, and slowly smiled.

.

.

.

“Remind me again why we’re visiting a college right now?” Elena asked.  “I mean, after the fact that you and I almost died yesterday and were only saved by Klaus’ return – which Bonnie made happen – and some mysterious tattoos on the hunter’s arm that only _Jeremy_ can see because he’s a potential member of this Five thing?  We’re way in over our heads here, yes, but that’s the reason we need to stick around and figure it out before this problem gets any bigger.”

Before Steph could even begin to explain or rationalize this to her newly turned friend, Damon blew into the room, grabbed his girlfriend by the waist, and hoisted her up onto his shoulder.  Elena squealed, and Stephanie was moderately docile as she followed them out of the boarding house and to Damon’s car, where Bonnie was waiting.

“You need to learn snatch, eat and erase,” Damon said imperiously and he gave Stephanie a significant look. “Both of you need to learn moderation, and now’s the time to do it.  A college party is the perfect place, and there’s _always_ a college party going on somewhere.”

“ _Now_ is the time?  Really?” Elena shouted and slammed her hands onto Damon’s back to be let go.  Stephanie snickered and Bonnie furrowed her brows disapprovingly at Damon.

Damon dislodged her and set Elena down into the front seat, while Steph hopped into the back with Bonnie.  “Yes, _now_ ,” Damon explained, “because _now_ ’s the best time for it.  There’s a crazy hunter on the loose who can expose us.  We don’t need you – either of you,” He waggled a finger at Elena and then Stephanie, “– accidentally outing us.  We’ll figure out Jeremy’s issues when we get back.”

“And what about Klaus?” Elena demanded shortly.  “He’s loose and probably looking for revenge.”

Bonnie answered before Damon could.  “He’s under control.”  Her voice was cool and there was a steely undertone to it; Stephanie almost believed her, would have believed her, if she didn’t know everything that Klaus was capable of based off of personal, hands-on experience.

“How?” Elena demanded shortly, “How do you know that?”

Bonnie took a deep breath as Damon started the car and began to drive them towards Whitmore College.  “Because I’m channeling the energy from the Council’s twelve deaths into Expression, and I know that I’m powerful enough to stop him if he were to try anything.  Trust me, Elena.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Damon announced and the car swerved to the right as Damon turned around to glare at Bonnie.  The girls shrieked a little and he righted the car.    “When did this happen?”

“Recently,” She lifted her chin upwards defiantly, daring him to chastise her for doing something for the good of their friends and family.

“And how are you controlling this wild, crazy dark magic?” Damon asked her incredulously.  Steph was inclined to agree with her brother.  Expression did not sound healthy for any of the parties involved.

“Damon’s right, Bonnie –”

“It’s not a problem yet,” Bonnie explained and when Elena tried to interrupt, she put a hand onto her knee to still her protests, “but I realize it could become one, so I’m contacting the professor who took over my Grams’ classes at Whitmore.  We’re going to be speaking today, so none of you need to worry.”  She deliberately turned her head, ending the conversation.  Damon threw up his arms and turned back to face the road, while Elena and Stephanie exchanged wary looks.

.

.

.

“Now, I believe there is a bit of information you do not know about the hunters.  Do you remember when you were daggered in the first century by one of the blokes?”

Kol scowled.  “It was your bloody fault, so of course I remember.”

“Well, Rebekah’s, rather,” Klaus said cheerily, “She was in love with one of them.  Alexander, his name was, and he played on her affections.  However, Alexander discovered Rebekah was a vampire, and he found out about the daggers and sent his other brothers to find all of us.  I, however, cannot be affected by the dagger, and so killed Alexander and his fellow hunters, before I undaggered the rest of you.”

Kol was growing bored.  “What’s the point of this conversation, again?”

“Well, during her rendezvous with Alexander, Rebekah discovered that he hunters had an ultimate weapon to destroy all vampires.”

Kol sat forward, suddenly very intrigued.  Ultimate weapon against vampires?  It couldn’t be what he thought it was . . . “Do you know what it is?” Kol asked.

“Rebekah has never told me,” Klaus said and Kol scowled.

“Bloody hell, call her then,” Kol demanded, “if the hunters are back in Mystic Falls the same time we are, you know that isn’t a coincidence.  They’re probably looking to get rid of all of the vampires in one fell swoop.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Klaus admonished and Kol thought he was having entirely too much fun.  “The only way to find this weapon is through the tattoos on the hunters’ arms.”

“Which are now invisible,” Kol murmured and his hooded eyes met Klaus’.  Kol was thrown back to a conversation he’d recently had with Bonnie.  “ _What’s the significance of the tattoo?”_ She’d asked.  Kol had told her, _“It’s a map to the thing that can kill Silas.”_ It couldn’t be . . . the weapons were one and the same?  The ultimate weapon to kill Silas is the same one that would kill all vampires.

Klaus was continuing.  “We’re going to need to find out what the weapon is from Rebekah, and then we’re going to find that hunter and get that tattoo onto paper.  Then we’re going to obtain this weapon and destroy it.”

Or, Kol thought, if this was the weapon he thought it was, use it destroy someone _else_.

“You know the history of the Five better than I do, brother,” Kol started slowly, unsure if he wanted to bring Klaus in on this.  “You know what they were created for.”

“And what was that again?” Klaus asked idly, lost in his maniac planning.

“To kill Silas once and for all.”

Klaus scoffed.  “Don’t tell me that you believe that old wives’ tale, brother.  Silas is just a story the witches tell each other – like the boogie man.”

“Kind of like the Originals’ are just stories that vampires whisper about?” Kol deadpanned.  “Have a little faith, brother.”

Klaus rolled his eyes.  “Don’t start with me, Kol.  Silas is just a tale to scare children.  But I suppose you are still a child in some respects.  What age were you when we turned? Nineteen?  Twenty?”

Kol narrowed his eyes.  “Fine, don’t listen to me, Niklaus.  We can talk about it later.  But the hunters are connected to him, and I swear to you he’ll come up again.”

.

.

.

When they reached Whitmore College, Stephanie pulled Elena away from the crowd.  Bonnie and Damon were talking a little ways away and distracted, and so Steph thought she would take advantage of their momentary privacy.

“Hey, I want you to promise me something as we go in here today,” Stephanie whispered.

“What?” Elena asked, confused.  Her eyes flicked over to Damon and back to Steph.

“You can get caught up in the feed easily,” Steph explained, “I’m proof enough of that.  I just want you to be careful because I probably won’t be able to pull you back and I love Damon, but you becoming a vampire is almost a dream come true for him.  You guys can live together forever and he can finally be happy.  And he’ll want you to be happy too, even if it’s a momentary second of bliss on a blood high.  He just . . . doesn’t regard human life the same as you do.  So be careful.”  I need to be careful as well, Stephanie thought to herself.  Because she was right; Damon would help them, but he also wouldn’t be particularly bothered if one of them killed someone unless he had to clean up the body.

Elena nodded warily.  “Okay.  I promise, Steph.” They rejoined Bonnie and Damon, and Elena promptly asked Bonnie, “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“I would spell you out of wanting blood if I could, but I’m fairly sure even Expression can’t grant me that power, so I’m going to have to be,” Bonnie said grimly.  “I’m going to be talking to Professor Shane for a lot of our visit anyway, so I won’t have to watch you . . . feed.  We’ll still go to freshmen orientation of course.”

Elena sighed.  “Something tells me I won’t be attending college anymore.”

“Oh, stop with the pity party,” Damon rolled his eyes and tugged Elena towards his chest.  “I attended college a few times, and so has Steph.”

“You and college?” Bonnie asked doubtfully.

“Sure,” Damon smirked, “I’ve always had a thing for sorority girls.”  When Elena glared, he amended, “I _used_ to have a thing for sorority girls.”

Elena grinned while Steph rolled her eyes and Bonnie mimed puking.  “You’re disgusting.”  Bonnie led the way to Professor Shane’s lecture, with Steph behind her and Damon and Elena being couple-y behind them.  They found seats high up in the auditorium, and sat together as the class started.

“Is that him?” Elena asked as her brows furrowed.  “Professor Shane?”

“Yeah,” Bonnie nodded.

Elena side eyed Bonnie.  “He’s kind of . . .”

“Hot?” Bonnie supplied with an easy grin.

Elena smirked.  “Yeah.”

Damon rolled his eyes and Stephanie scrunched her nose.  “Not really.”

“Well, we all know your type is lithe, blonde, and blue eyed sociopaths,” Damon remarked and Stephanie pinched him in the thigh.  He grunted and huffed.

“. . . responsible for everything that goes bump in the night . . .”  

“What if I’m a ripper?” Elena suddenly asked.

“You’re not,” Stephanie was quick to reassure her.  If Elena was a ripper, she would be devastated. 

“Definitely not,” Damon added.

“But what if I am?” Elena pressed urgently.  Her fingers curled into the armrests of the auditorium seat.

“Then we’ll deal with like we’re dealing with Steph,” Damon said proactively.  “We’ll make sure you learn moderation; this is what we’re here for.  Start browsing the menu, if you please.”

Elena’s eyes darted to a girl with glasses.

“No, not that one,” Damon shook his head.  “Nerdy girls are inherently suspicious; just ask Stephanie.  No, you want someone ditzy, not too smart; someone you can herd away from the group and get alone.  You want that one.” He nodded towards a blonde girl playing on her phone.

“Excuse me; am I interrupting you up there?” Professor Shane called out and the vampires and witch froze.

“No,” Elena called out.  “Sorry.”

Shane continued his lecture.  “Alright, we should probably talk about the reading none of you did . . .” Stephanie spent the rest of his class blocking out the sounds of beating hearts and slow breathing as Bonnie was riveted towards the man who had taken over her grandmother’s classes, and Damon and Elena whispered to each other quietly.  She tapped her ring on her thigh anxiously, biting her lip to keep her fangs from descending.

Her fingernails dug into her jeans when the boy next to her leaned over a little too far and exposed his neck.

She swallowed back saliva and closed to her eyes, forcing herself to stop breathing.  The world around her faded a little and Professor Shane’s teaching began to sound like a faraway recording.  The clock’s ticking seemed to grow, the only sound that registered in her mind, and it echoed around the auditorium.  Time passed.

And then Elena was shaking her shoulder and giving Steph a concerned look.  “You okay?”

“Fine,” Stephanie nodded sharply and stood.  “Let’s go.”

“Actually, I’m going to catch up with Professor Shane.” Bonnie hitched her bag up onto her shoulder and glanced at her two friends apologetically. 

“Have fun with Professor Creepy,” Damon drawled, and put his arms around his sister and girlfriend.  “We’ll be having lunch.”  Bonnie gave him a nasty glare and then said goodbye to her friends.

“Now.  Let’s go find that girl.”

The left the auditorium and followed the blonde Damon had pointed out that day, which wasn’t too difficult as she was walking slowly and her eyes were glued down to her phone. 

“Elena first,” Damon said and gave Steph a sidelong glance.  “It’ll be less messy.”  Stephanie grounded her teeth.  “Now, Elena, she’s a healthy girl – strong – she’ll recover quickly, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.  Keep your eye on the ball.”

“Damon,” Elena warned.

“It’s not a game,” Stephanie said stiffly.  The trio walked behind the blonde college student at a slower pace.

“Fine; it’s not a game, it’s a high stakes life or death situation.  Now let’s do this.  Be natural,” Damon gently pushed Elena forward and the dark headed girl sped up her pace.

“Hey!” She called.  “You’re in my Anthro class, right?”

“Uh, I think so.”

“She won’t be able to do it like this,” Steph whispered.

“Why not?” Damon asked.

“Elena’s . . . so soft hearted.  I don’t think she has it in her to drink from an innocent,” Steph murmured.

“I’m sure that’s what the Founders thought about you before you tore out all of their throats,” Damon pointed out a little callously.  Steph stiffened and turned her head to watch Elena and the student.  Unfortunately, it went about as well as Stephanie had predicted.

“What the hell?  What happened?” Damon demanded.

Elena was at a loss.  “She had a little sister, Damon . . . I just couldn’t.”

“Everyone has a sister, or a brother, or a parent, or a friend,” Damon said exasperatedly.  “Honestly, Elena.  You don’t know these people; why do you care?”

“Because she’s still Elena,” Steph defended, stepping beside her friend.  “That hasn’t changed.”

“I still have the same feelings, Damon,” Elena said quietly.

“Is something going on?” The three vampires turned their heads to find Bonnie striding towards them, looking a little concerned.

“No, we just ran into an issue, that’s all,” Damon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 

“How did the meeting with Shane go?” Steph inquired politely as Elena greeted Bonnie with a quick hug as if they hadn’t seen each other an hour ago.

“Good,” Bonnie grinned, “He had a lot of my Grams’ things, and he’s going to give them to me later.  I didn’t mention my magic yet, but hopefully it’ll come up.  I also got invited to this.” She produced a yellow and red flyer that stated there was a “murder house” that evening.

“This just solved all of our problems,” Damon smirked as he snatched the flyer.  “The only people who come to these are hot sorority girls and dicky frat guys.  Perfect hunting grounds, which is why we’ll be eating very well tonight.”  He rubbed his hands together eagerly.  “So, what should we go as tonight?  Victims or killers?”

.

.

.

“So, before we go forward with this,” Kol started as Klaus got off the phone with Rebekah (who was enjoying her time in New Salem with her girlfriend and the witches’ coven there), who’d given them some very key information that was still ringing in Kol’s ears.  (“It’s a Cure,” She’d told them, “a Cure for vampirism.”) She’d taken the time to explain that the sword was the key to decoding the tattoo map on the Hunters’ arms, and would lead them straight to the Cure.

 (“Why do you want the Cure?” Kol had asked Klaus when the elder’s interest had been peaked.

“I need a human doppelgänger, brother – I need more hybrids, and that stash in the old mansion isn’t going to make me more than ten to twelve at the most.  I need an army.”)

“I think there’s something you’d appreciate knowing.”

“It’s not about the boogie man again is it?” Klaus drawled disinterestedly.  He was far more concerned with hitting the road to get to the sword, whose location Rebekah had alluded to in their conversation.  Klaus rolled his head on the seat to gaze at his little brother.  “Because I’m done listening to that,” He warned.  “I need to get started with my plans.”

Kol arched an eyebrow but kept his knowledge about Silas to himself.  He’d help Klaus get the Cure, but only to destroy Silas, since it was clear that the weapon to kill Silas and the Cure were one and the same.  For now, he’d reveal a little secret to Klaus; he raised his right hand.  With a muttered word underneath his breath and a flick of his wrist, Kol’s fingers ignited and flames danced across the tips, back and forth.  His face was alight with a savage grin.  He glanced at Klaus and saw that for once in his long, long life, the hybrid was utterly speechless.

“How the bloody hell are you doing that?” Klaus demanded when he finally regained the ability to speak.

“My obsession with witches has paid off, dear brother,” Kol explained, “seeing as one of them – someone who has given me at least a moderate amount of trust – decided to wield Expression, and has bestowed my magic upon me once more.  There was a . . . catch, however.”  Here, Kol’s fanatic smile waned.

“What?” Klaus barked.

“She cast a spell on me that I cannot undo myself,” Kol beat around the bush.

“What did she _do_ , Kol?”

“She made it so I can’t harm any living – or undead – person ever again.”

Klaus’ booming laughter echoed loudly around the cavernous halls of the new Mikaelson Mansion.  “Bloody hell, but that’s funny. She told me already, though, when you were poisoned.”

Kol glared.  “It’s not like you can be killed, little brother,” Klaus remarked dryly, still snickering.  “So, I have an idea for your next magic trick.  And it’ll pay me back for aiding in my burial, so there will be no need for a punishment on your end.”

“And what’s that?” Kol asked warily.

“Can you do a locator spell?  I’d say it’s about time for some wolf hunting.”

.

.

.

They ended up going as a mix of both murderer and victims.  Damon was (of course) a murderer – but not only a murderer, but Jack the Ripper (“You think you’re hilarious, don’t you”).  The three ladies were his victims.

 “Hey, I’m Frankie,” A young blond man, a little heavyset, stepped forward as the trio of vampires and one witch walked into the house and offered Damon his drink.  “And I’m going to assume _you’re_ a killer.”

“I’m Jack,” Damon confirmed as he took a drink, “and these beautiful women are the ladies I . . .” He tilted his head as he thought, “ripper-ed.”  Stephanie rolled her eyes while Bonnie snorted.

“Welcome to the Murder House.”  The grinned, “Bloody Marys’ are free until midnight.  Enjoy yourselves.” He stepped around them and wandered off, while Damon tipped his hat.

“Hat’s off to these idiots.”  He squinted at the stairs.  “Isn’t that Professor Creepy?”

“I told you, it’s Professor Shane,” Bonnie quickly admonished, “and he’s _not_ creepy.”  She glared a little and then her eyes slid back to the teacher almost dreamily.  Steph saw Damon shudder dramatically.  “I’m going to go talk to him for a minute.”

“You do that,” Damon said condescendingly as they saw Bonnie off.  “Now, ladies, look at all these sleaze balls covered in blood.  Pick one.”  He waved a hand around the party, wiggling his fingers. 

Stephanie and Elena were dressed for the occasion in satin green and black dresses respectively, with black panty hose and high heels.  The people around them were in Halloween costumes and copious amounts of fake blood that dribbled down faces and necks alluringly.  Steph forced herself and relax.

“Him,” Elena suddenly said and Steph turned her head to look at the guy who’d greeted them at the door.  He was holding a cloudy cup and handing it to a giggly young woman.  Elena was glaring fiercely at him, fingers curling into claws at her sides.  Damon had a slow grin growing on his lips as he took Elena’s hand.

“Ah, roofie guy.”  They started forward together, seemingly forgetting about Steph for the moment – which she was indeed perfectly fine with – as they stalked the young frat boy like they were wolves and the student a sheep.  The cornered him in a hallway and then before Stephanie could so much as close her eyes, Elena’s teeth were buried into his neck, tearing and gnashing the skin.

Steph almost salivated.  Instead of joining them, she gravitated somewhere else.  She found it impossible to escape the hammering sounds of heartbeats as students were packed like sardines in the Murder House.  They moved with the heavy bass that made the floorboards and the walls vibrate, and alcohol and drugs flowed freely from cup to cup, lips to lips.

“Hey, sweetheart, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.”  Steph turned to see another young man, a frat boy, looking at her with hungry, searching eyes.  “Want a drink?”

Steph wondered if he’d try to roofie it like Elena had seen the other frat boy do to his classmate.  She made a quick decision – she’d come to the dumb frat party learn to control herself, and damn it, she was going to learn.  “Sure.”  It would a very different kind of drink than he was thinking about.  She held out a hand and grinned at him.  The boy took the bait.

Steph led the boy – “Call me James” – to a secluded hallway and stretched to kiss his neck.  James was relatively handsome, in a generic kind of way; he had brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and wore a baseball uniform as his costume.  He had a strong jaw, she noticed as her lips made their way across his throat.  James’ hands found her ass and lifted her up, which gave her a vantage point to bite into his jugular.

Her fangs slid out and neatly into his skin in a matter of seconds and red hot blood gushed into her mouth and made her taste buds bloom.  It was good, but not nearly fulfilling enough and Steph took long drags of the thick liquid to try and sate her thirst.  She couldn’t help but compare it to Klaus’ blood, and found it lacking in substance.  But it was good for human blood, and Steph found herself unable to let go, even as James’ struggles began to wane.  Her grip tightened on his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around his waist to herself elevated. 

Hands were suddenly gripping her sides and lifted her off of her meal and Stephanie snarled at the intruder.

“Hey, hey, it’s just me.  Moderation, remember?” Damon was back, along with Elena, from their little adventure.  Elena’s face was covered in smeared blood, but she looked completely relaxed and . . . happy.  She maneuvered around Steph and Damon, and attended to the frat boy, feeding him a bit of her blood and compelling him to move along and forget the evening’s occurrences.

Stephanie lifted hand to wipe at her face, disgusted with herself, when Damon snatched her hand.  “It goes with the theme of the party.”

“It’s real, human blood,” Steph hissed, “of someone I just nearly killed.”

“But he’s fine, you’re fine; it was a learning experience.  Now come on, ask Elena how her first hunt went!”

Steph turned to look at Elena wordlessly.  The nearly turned vampire shrugged almost apologetically.  “I . . . I want more.”

But that was the problem, wasn’t it?  Stephanie always wanted more.  And now, so did Elena. 

Damon clapped a hand onto Steph’s shoulder and propelled her forwards.  “Come on.  Let’s practice some more.”

They made their way to the dance floor and the music was louder, the bodies pressing closer, and the adrenaline rushed.  Stephanie found herself pressured and pushed into drinking from boy after girl, getting drunk off her bloodlust and letting her inhibitions wither in a way that they usually didn’t unless her humanity was off and she was with Nik. 

Every time the guilt pushed in to the forefront of her mind, Damon or Elena was there and shoving her towards another college kid and she bared her fangs and gorged.

“Great costume,” A girl admired and Steph took a moment to look at herself the reflective surface of the TV hanging off the wall; her hair was bedraggled and her makeup smeared, but what was gruesome was the blood crusting around her mouth and dripping down her chin.  Some was stained onto her dress and skin, giving her the appearance of someone who just escaped a slaughter house.

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.

Bonnie found Shane and let him lead her away from the party and up to Shane’s office.  It was cluttered, but looked homey. 

“I put your Grams’ things up here, somewhere,” Shane prattled.  “There were a couple of family photos. Did you know she liked Cujo?”  Bonnie grinned.  She moved around the tiny office and wandered a little, admiring the unique artifacts that littered shelves and desks.  It was all relating to witchcraft, which Bonnie thought, ought to have been expected. 

“This stuff in amazing,” She complimented and gave Professor Shane a smile.  “Is this all that you’ve gathered while traveling?”

“Yeah,” Shane bobbed his head. “I, uh, do this thing – a one man traveling a cultic museum.  Here,” He walked over and showed her a brown tinted Cujo book.  Inside was a picture of Bonnie and her Grams.  The sudden onslaught of memories it provoked made tears gather in the corner of her eyes.

“Do you practice?” Shane asked quietly.

Bonnie deliberated.  She wanted to talk about Expression, but what if Shane was not receptive to the idea?  She decided to take the risk.  “Yes, I do.  So did Grams, actually, if you didn’t know.  Do you?”

Shane grinned.  “That’s amazing!  And no, alas, I’m not nearly gifted enough to actually do anything. I’m just a guy who’s interested in a lot of things and has a very open mind.”

“You know a lot,” Bonnie hedged.

“Not to toot my own horn, but yes,” Shane agreed and peered at Bonnie.  “Is there something . . . ?”

“Have you heard of Expression?” Bonnie asked and Shane’s face blanked for a moment before lighting up with utter glee.

“Yes,” He nodded furtively.  “Do you . . . ?”

Bonnie pressed her lips together and nodded briefly.  “I was wondering if you could help me learn to control it better.  I haven’t told my friends, but it’s . . . a little overwhelming.”

“Of course I’ll help you,” Shane said immediately, “Anything for Sheila’s granddaughter and I’m sure you’re very talented.”

“Thank you,” Bonnie smiled.  “I’d be extremely grateful.”

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Stephanie licked her lips.  The strobe lights were going wild, spinning around, and the music throbbed in her bones.  The blood made her simultaneously hungry and nauseous.  Behind her, Damon and Elena stopped making out as Bonnie hastened to their sides and reamed them for having a good time drinking from the frat kids.  Elena was soon brought near to tears and she stormed out with Damon hastily following her, after a short, clipped response to Bonnie’s tirade.  Steph ducked out of the witch’s line of sight and slunk out of the Murder House.  She followed the sound of Elena and Damon arguing and found them off to the side, beneath a weeping willow.

Stephanie decided to call it a quits and leave them to it; Elena was in tears, but it looked like they would be making up and making out soon.  Bonnie was nowhere to be seen.  Steph turned around found her way to Damon’s car, and scribbled a note to stick onto the steering wheel; she was going home and then going to try and forget her fiasco of a day and her mostly failed attempts at moderation. 

Maybe Caroline had had a better evening.

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Stephanie arrived back at the boarding house to find it dead silent except for the little noises that all old homes made in the autumn nights.  She kicked off her heels and picked them up by her pinky finger and walked barefoot up the wooden, creaky stairs.  She turned off towards her room and put her shoes back up in her closet, and unzipped her dress and stepped out of it.

The window creaked.

Steph’s green eyes darted up and found that the glass pane was slightly ajar and swinging in time with the wind outside.  In just her under things, she walked over and firmly shut the window and pulled the curtains to shut out the night sky and stars.  Steph turned back to pick up her dress and then make her way to the bathroom to shower, but she stepped on something in the floor that crinkled noisily.  She bent down and retrieved the thick paper and smoothed it out.

Her insides went cold.

It was a drawing of her in a pretty red dress, her hair flowing down her back and a light coating of blood on her lips.  Steph was drawn to her likeness’s eyes – they were a penetrating green that seemed to glare out of the page.  In a beautiful flowing script, Klaus had written, “ _You are strong, ageless, and fearless.  I love that about you.”_ And that was it.

Stephanie crumpled the paper into a small ball in her hand and she tossed it across the room.

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“Take care of my hybrids for me, will you?” Klaus drawled as he licked the werewolf blood off of his fingers.  “I’ve got to get the sword.”

“Why do I have to be the babysitter?” Kol whined.  He flapped a hand.  “They’re your creations.”

“Who else is going to keep an eye on them?  I need them and you to watch Connor – make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble.  Can’t have him killing anyone, anyway,” Klaus explained and it was clear his patience was waning.  His spine straightened and he looked Kol in the eye.  “I trust that this revelation about the Cure will stay between us and Rebekah, understood?  Don’t tell your new witchy friend or any of the residents of town.  If word got out about this . . .”

“Yes, yes, the world would end,” Kol snapped.  “Anything else?”

“Make sure Stephanie doesn’t kill herself doing something stupid and righteous, won’t you?  I plan on winning her back in the near future.”

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Professor Shane glanced up from his reading, and inquisitively asked, “Shouldn’t you be in Mystic Falls killing vampires?”  He was glad he’d sent Bonnie home a few hours ago, for surely she’d have recognized the Hunter from her town.

Connor Jordan advanced towards Shane in his office.  His brows were furrowed and his face twisted into a fierce scowl.  “Why the hell did you send me there?  Yeah, the place is crawling with vampires, but you didn’t say there was an Original there.”

“You met Klaus?” Shane perked up.

“No, but I did meet his brother Kol at the Town Council’s memorial,” Connor scowled.  “The little bastard and his friend Damon Salvatore tried to accost me right after I shot their hybrid friend.  Do you know how hard it is to kill a werewolf-vampire hybrid?  That vermin is still running around too.”

“According to lore, you have to decapitate them or rip out their hearts,” Shane offered helpfully.

“Thanks for that bit of information,” Connor spat.  “It’d have been useful earlier.  Though you’re not very good at giving useful information ahead of time.”

“I told you I’d give you answers about the mark after it finished growing,” Shane said loftily.

“In other words, kill as many vampires as possible,” The Hunter snapped.

“There’s no shortage of vampires in that town, so it won’t be that difficult.  Although, I do have one request,” Shane said.

“And that is?”

“There’s a witch mixed up in all of that vampire stuff, and I need to leave her out of your plans.  I need her for my own agenda,” Shane explained.  Connor snorted and stalked closer.

“I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way,” He warned, “Witch, or no witch.”

Shane sighed.  “Then I guess I’ll just have to occupy her myself.”

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tbc.


	5. diggin' my own grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “With a thousand lies  
> And a good disguise  
> Hit ‘em right between the eyes  
> Hit ‘em right between the eyes  
> When you walk away  
> Nothing more to say  
> See the lightning in your eyes  
> See ‘em running for their lives.”

“Kol, I don’t have time for your nonsense.  I’m on my way over to Professor Shane’s office at Whitmore,” Bonnie said as Kol tried to accost her in the kitchen.

“But I have to tell you something,” Kol whined.  “Come on, darling.  It’s important.”

“Well, Shane is teaching me to control my Expression,” Bonnie retorted.  “It’s important.”  She grabbed her purse and adjusted the shoulder strap and headed for the door.

“I’m coming with you,” Kol declared and followed after. 

“No.”  Bonnie went to her car and buckled herself in, and to her exasperation, so did Kol.  He ran a hand through his hair, making the ends stand up as he pouted at her.  “Why do you want to come?” She demanded.  “You’ll be bored the entire ride over because your attention span is the same as a child’s.”

“I need to talk to you.  And I would like to practice my magic,” Kol appealed.  “You can tell this Shane character that I’m a witch friend.  Which I am.”  He grinned at her cheekily.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call you a friend,” Bonnie muttered and started the car.  Kol turned on the radio and adjusted the volume to a louder level. 

“I love twenty-first century music,” He mused and started to sing along.  Under other circumstances Bonnie reluctantly admitted his voice would have been nice to listen to.  Unfortunately, listening to him belt out Beyoncé lyrics was not exactly a pleasant experience.

“No.” Bonnie shut off the music.  She sighed.  “Tell me whatever it is, then.”

Kol grinned.  “How would you like to talk about the Cure for vampirism and Silas, the Original Immortal?”

“I’m listening.”

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Jeremy had needed a job to take his mind off of things, in addition to helping provide for himself.  No one said anything, but he knew that Damon and Steph were currently the Gilbert’s financial backers in everything from groceries to school supplies, and it rankled.  Jeremy wanted to be able to pay for his own things instead of taking charity from Elena’s boyfriend and Jeremy’s ex.  So he started to work at the Grill with Matt and Anna.

It didn’t hurt that April was a frequent visitor.

He enjoyed spending time with her; she was his own age, pretty, smart, and a little bashful.  They could relate to each other on a few different levels; both had dead parents and were only siblings (or in Jeremy’s case, a mostly now absentee sibling).  April was living with her aunt now; a stern woman who’d Jeremy hadn’t met in person yet, though April spoke of her relative fondly. 

However, hanging out with April came with its own set of complications.  One, he knew she had a crush on him.  Like a major crush.  And he kind of felt stirrings of sexual attraction in return, as well as some romantic feelings that Jeremy was sure would grow if things continued as they did.  Things got complicated though, considering the fact that April didn’t know a thing about the supernatural world and Jeremy’s life was submerged in it.  (Like the fact that he was some kind of potential hunter, which, why was this stuff his life?).  Also was the fact that Steph was back and (mostly) sane and as beautiful and kind and intelligent as ever.  Sometimes he was pretty sure he still loved her.

But then he thought of the horrendous murders she’d performed, ripping people’s bodies apart, being in a relationship with Klaus (willing or no) who was a total dick, and the fact that she’d almost killed Jeremy.  What hurt a lot though was the fact that she’d never come and got him in Denver.  Which, yes, didn’t make a lot of sense, but love was stupid. 

He wondered if she felt the same conflicted feelings over him or if she actually did love that evil hybrid dick.  All that Jeremy knew was that he enjoyed being around April (soft, supple, sweet April), and right then even thinking about his past (and present) relationship with Stephanie hurt him deep inside.  And so he avoided Steph and grew closer to April.  (He never said he was particularly smart). 

Jeremy was in the Grill at that moment, and he went to the back to open another box of napkins for the lunch rush.  He was tearing the plastic when he heard a creaking noise behind him towards the freezer.  Jeremy paused.  He turned and crept towards the freezer, but saw nothing.  Jeremy sighed and told himself he was being paranoid.

When he turned, there was a knife to his throat.  Jeremy’s heart hammered in his chest and he met the wild eyes of the Hunter, Connor Jordan.

“Jeremy.  Let’s talk about vampires, shall we?”  Jeremy swallowed thickly and thought that his tongue had somehow grown three sizes too big.  Unable to speak, he nodded almost imperceptivity.  A slow grin grew onto Connor’s face.  “That’s a good man.”

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“Man, you are half an hour late, so get your ass over here,” Matt grumped and he flipped his cell phone closed.

“What was that?  The third message you left him?  Someone woke on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Anna said wryly as she slid a chair off of one of the tables and set it on the floor.  She took out a rag and wiped down the table.

“I just want Jeremy to show up to work on time, is all.  I’m trying to look out for her since Elena’s AWOL,” Matt explained tiredly.  He rubbed the bridge of his nose.  “I’m really trying to understand Elena right now, but she’s so different . . . it’s like I can’t even talk to her anymore.”

“It’ll be a transition,” Anna agreed.  “But if you’re really as close friends as I think you are, you guys will work something out.”  Matt smiled at her and Anna kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Excuse me?” The couple turned to see April wandering inside hesitantly.

“We don’t open ‘til eleven,” Matt told her.

“I wasn’t trying scare you or anything, I was just wondering if you’d seen Jeremy.  I don’t want to seem like a stalker or something, but he said he’d call and I know he started working here and so I thought I’d drop by . . .” April trailed off.

“He’s not here yet . . .”Anna’s eyes widened as they focused on something coming out from behind the bar and the backroom.  Matt and April turned their attention to see what the problem was only to find Connor holding Jeremy at knifepoint and gently nudging the teen forward.

“Oh my God,” April whimpered. 

“Sit down!  All of you sit down!” Connor yelled and put a little pressure on Jeremy’s neck with the knife.  April’s eyes were round with fear, but she complied without a sound.  Anna’s eyes were narrowed and her fists clenched, but she as well slowly sat on a chair at a round table with both April and Matt.   Connor shoved Jeremy into a chair next to them.  “Kids, one of you give me a cell phone.”

“We’ll do whatever you want, just please, let April go,” Jeremy begged.  “She has nothing to do with this.  She doesn’t know anything about it.”  He handed the Hunter his phone even as he spoke, hoping his compliance would get him this one thing.

“She has everything to do with this,” Connor disputed.  He gave her a suspicious glance, “Her _and_ her father.  Besides, she and I have history.”

“What?” April asked, fear bubbling up and showing in her voice.  “What are you talking about?  I’ve never seen you before in my life!”

“Maybe all you children should wear some vervain,” Connor suggested as he turned to dial the phone.  “That way, none of you could be compelled by those nasty vampire vermin.”

“Vampires?” April demanded.  “Are you crazy?” She turned to Jeremy and asked, “Is he for real?”

Jeremy panicked and shrugged.  “He must be on drugs or something.”

“You have to know that our friends will come for us,” Matt snapped loudly.  He ground his teeth agitatedly and tapped his fingers on the table.  Anna put her hand next to his.  Her eyes narrowed as she came to a realization.

Anna’s nostrils flared.  “But that’s what he wants.  He’s expecting all of the vampires to come running to our rescue.  He plans to take them out in one fell swoop.”

“You’re smart,” Connor tipped his head towards her. 

“Now, who should I text first?  Damon Salvatore?  His sister, Stephanie?  Tyler Lockwood?  No . . . how about all of the above.”  He sent out the blast text and then picked up a stake and smashed the cell phone.  “There we go.  Let’s see who comes running first.  I’m a little curious, myself.”

Jeremy nearly growled in anger.  “They won’t fall for it,” He snapped, but Connor only laughed.  They all knew _that_ was a lie.

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“So, I say we each take a different entrance, and hit him all at once,” Damon proposed.  He paced the length of Tyler Lockwood’s living room, while Stephanie, Caroline and Elena sat together on the couch and Tyler stood behind it with his fists resting on its head.

“Damon, be serious,” Stephanie chided.  “That’s not a plan.”  She twisted her hands in her lap.  Damon and Elena were still being a little frosty towards each other because of last night, but otherwise acted like nothing was wrong.  There had been no talks of trying ‘moderation’ again for a while.  They might have, but then three out of the five of them received a blast text message from the Hunter, trying to lure them to the Grill.

“No, my plan involves me taking Connor’s heart out of his chest and feeding it him,” Damon corrected with a savage expression that promised a severe amount of pain.

“It’s still not a valid plan.”  Steph arched a brow at her brother, unimpressed and unwilling to take the unnecessary risk.  “It’s dangerous for the hostages that Connor has, including Jeremy and who the hell else knows.”

Caroline’s phone bleeped and she looked down.  After a few tense seconds of rapid finger swiping, she said, “My mom has squad cars blocking the road, so we can do whatever needs to be done.”

“No cops, no witnesses, sounds like a plan to me,” Damon called and he threw up his arms, “so let’s do this.”

“Damon,” Stephanie stood and glared.  “We can’t go into this half-cocked.  Connor is smart and strong.  I’m sure he has a back-up plan in case we all come at once.  We need to think this out carefully to make sure we assess all possible dangers.”

“We don’t have time for that!” Tyler spread his arms.  “We have until sundown.”

“And it’s early afternoon,” Steph snapped.  “Plenty of time to think about this rationally.”

“Well, what do you suggest, your majesty?” Damon sneered.

“Don’t be ugly, Damon,” Elena sighed.  “She just wants to make sure we all get out of this okay.”  She made an aborted motion towards Damon, but ended up just slouching into the sofa a little farther.

“Did you call Bonnie?” Stephanie asked.

“She’s all the way at Whitmore visiting Professor Shane about her Grams,” Caroline explained.  “She told me she was going last night over the phone.  She’s not answering her cell, and I don’t think Kol even knows how to use one.”

“Okay, so that’s out,” Stephanie nodded and then pushed her fingers into her eyes.  “I have another idea, but no one is going to like it.”

“Let’s hear it.” Tyler crossed his arms.

“I think we should call Klaus,” Stephanie said firmly and the room exploded into vehement protests. 

“Are you kidding me?” Damon shouted.  “That guy is not going to help us.  And anyway, I don’t want his help.”  He put his hands onto his hips.

“Yeah, well, none of your plans are going to work, considering none of us are indestructible,” Stephanie snapped back.  “Honestly, Damon.  Connor probably has more werewolf venom and the only one here who won’t get laid out flat on their backs is Tyler.  And no offense to Tyler, but I don’t think he’s experienced enough to take Connor out on his own.  So we need Klaus.”

“What makes you think he’ll help us?” Tyler demanded lowly.  “The guy is a dick.”

“He’s in love with Steph,” Damon waved a hand angrily.  “He’ll do whatever she asks.  Come, Klaus, heel Klaus.”

Steph glared.

“It’s kind of true,” Caroline coughed and Elena looked at the floor.

“So is that the plan?” Stephanie asked and no one said anything more in protest, so she pulled out her phone and dialed the hybrid.

He answered in the second ring.  “Hello, love,” Klaus murmured.  “Miss me?”

“I need a favor,” Stephanie cut to the chase.  “We have a hostage situation with the Hunter and we need you to help us get them out.”

“I’d love to, really, but I’m out of the country at the moment,” Klaus said and Stephanie thought he really did sound remorseful.  “But I do have some helpers that would love to come to your aid.”

“Who?”

“I have some hybrids in Mystic Falls just for this purpose.”

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.

“I can’t believe you wrote a book,” Bonnie grinned as she flipped through the pages.  She’d arrived at Whitmore and turned off her phone, eager to be away from the troubles of Mystic Falls for a day.  Kol was snooping around after not introducing himself.  She and Kol and talked about what the Original had discovered about Silas and the Cure, but Bonnie had promised to talk about it more in depth when they left.  She wanted to learn about control that afternoon, and it needed her full attention.

“I did,” Shane said and shuffled some things around on his desk.  “I’ve written three, actually.”

“How grand,” Kol said dryly.

“You never did tell me who your friend was,” Shane said a little meaningfully.  He looked at Kol curiously, and Bonnie thought she saw something in Shane’s eyes that was interesting . . .

“Kol,” The Original introduced.  “I’m a witch.  Warlock, whatever.” He waved a hand, uninterested in terms.

Shane’s eyes widened a little but otherwise gave no reaction.  Curious.  “Professor Shane.” He stuck out a hand.  “How long have you been practicing?”

Kol didn’t shake his hand.  “My mum taught me everything she knew, started when I was almost a babe.”

“For almost your entire life then,” Shane said, visibly impressed.

“It’s been a while though, so I thought I’d come with Bonnie to visit,” Kol continued.  He gave the teacher a shark like grin.  “Is that going to be problem?”

Genuinely, Shane shook his head.  “Not at all, Kol.  Not at all.  Who wants some tea?  I’ve got a recipe from some Aborigine spirit guides in Australia a few months ago on sabbatical.  It’s better smoked, but considering you guys are under age . . . we’ll drink it instead.” He winked.

“I’d love some,” Bonnie smiled.

Kol cocked his head.  “Maybe,” He said noncommittally. 

“Great!” Shane disappeared for a moment and reappeared with three cups and teapot.  “Sit, sit.”  He gave Kol a sidelong glance.  “Does he know about . . . ?”

“I know all about the Expression, mate,” Kol said smoothly.

“Good, good,” Shane nodded as the two magic folks sat across from him at the desk.  Bonnie sipped her drink and Kol sniffed his.  “Listen, what I have in mind may come off as a little unorthodox . . . what do you guys know about hypnosis?”

“To not to mess with it,” Kol said easily.

“You believe in hypnosis?” Bonnie asked the men she was sitting with, uncertain and a little nonplussed. 

“You practice witchcraft, but you don’t believe in hypnosis?  Come on, Bonnie,” Shane grinned.

“How is hypnosis going to help with Expression, anyway?” Bonnie wondered aloud, curiously.

“It won’t,” Kol said sharply.  “Personally, I find it a little distasteful.  Too much like a vampire’s compulsion.”  Bonnie gave him a sharp look, though Shane appeared even more interested in Kol.

“Really?  I’d love to talk about ethics with you one day,” The Professor admitted.  “But I have to say that I disagree.  Compulsion is just that – the people are compelled, bound to follow whatever instruction they are given.   People under hypnosis are said to have heightened focus and concentration with the ability to concentrate intensely on a specific thought or memory, while blocking out sources of distraction.”

Kol replied, “But suggestions can be made and the person under the trance will oblige.  They wouldn’t be able to help it.  What if you’re a psycho and try and get Bonnie alone or something?  I’m afraid I’d be a little upset, mate.”

Bonnie glowered, but Shane laughed a little.  “I won’t try and hypnotize you, Kol, I promise.  Just Bonnie.”

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“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Damon growled.  They’d moved to Alaric’s apartment to get a few things and organize themselves because of its close location to the Mystic Grill.  He was roughly pulling out some maps while muttering under his breath about dirty hybrids.  Elena stood over by the window, eyes peering out onto the street. She was intently focused on Stephanie’s form standing next to a new hybrid, while Tyler and one of his friends he’d yet to introduce hovered nearby.  Elena didn’t have to be there to see the tension in the set of the group’s shoulders.

“At least he’s helping,” Elena sighed and wrung her hands.  “I still want to go in there myself.”

“Connor doesn’t know you’re a vampire yet, so it’s not a good idea,” Damon retorted.  “We went over this.”

“Damon –”

Elena’s phone rang.  Her eyes met Damon’s and she scrabbled across the room for it.  “Hello?”

“I can hear everyone in the Grill from the street,” Steph’s voice carried over the line.  “It’s Jeremy, Elena, and Matt, Anna and April.  They’re all stuck inside with the Hunter.”

“What?” Elena gasped.

“Danger magnets, all of them,” Damon grouched huffily. 

“I’m going in there,” Elena declared and she peered at the maps Damon had pulled from Alaric’s cabinet.  “What are these of?  They look like they’re underground . . .”

“They’re tunnels under the Grill, but you’re not going,” Damon snapped.  “Like I said, this guy doesn’t know you’re a vampire.  Let’s please keep it that way.”

“But I can help!” Elena argued.  “I can offer to trade myself for the hostages.”  Damon’s hand shot out and he grabbed Elena as she began to walk toward the door to leave, maps in hand.

His brows furrowed and his voice was incredulous as he said, “No.  Best case scenario, you’re a hostage now.  Worst case, the Hunter kills you.”

“Stop treating me like I can’t handle myself, Damon,” Elena shrugged out of his grip.  “I’m a vampire now.  I’m strong.”

“But you’re way too inexperienced to go in there and take on a trained killer,” Damon argued.  “Let the damn hybrid brat do the dirty work.”

Elena glared.  “You don’t understand, Damon, that one of the only things holding me together right now is my little brother.  If anything happens to him . . . I don’t know what I would do.”

Damon sighed and slowly walked over to his girlfriend.  He cradled her face in the palms of his hands and gently kissed her.  Resting his forehead onto hers, he said, “And I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.  Nothing will happen to Jeremy.  I promise.”

Elena sighed.  “Isn’t what we sent Jeremy to Denver for?  To get him away from all of this?”

“Yeah, but like you said, you need him,” Damon pointed out gently.  “He’s helping you to keep your humanity, whether he knows it or not, by just being here.”

The door opened and the couple turned to find Stephanie walking in.  “Klaus’ hybrid is here and I’ve talked to him.  He’ll be taking the front, while you and me,” She motioned between herself and Damon, “will be taking the tunnels.  Do you have the maps?”

“Found in them in a cabinet behind some liquor,” Damon confirmed with a nod.  “So I say let’s get this party started.”

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.

“He’s clearly delusional,” April said to their little group sitting at the table, “I mean, listen to all of his talk about vampires!  No sane person believes in that stuff.  And what about that stuff he said about my dad?”

“Listen, the guy’s a nut job,” Matt reassured her firmly.  He folded his arms onto the table and leant toward her.  “Don’t let him get into your head.”

“Jeremy, did he say anything to you about why he’s doing this?” April asked frantically.

“No.  But I’m going to try and find out,” Jeremy said gruffly and pushed himself away from the table.  He stalked toward Connor and slammed his hands down onto the counter.   “Let us go.  Please.”

“No can do,” Connor shook his head.  “But if you like, I’ll show you my little craft project here.  See, I picked up a lot of stuff throughout the years from the hunter’s trade.”

“What is all that?” Jeremy furrowed his brows as he took in the things strewn over the counter top of the bar.

“It’s the components of a bomb.” Connor explained, “The fluid is derived from werewolf venom and there’s a wire, so if someone trips it, it goes off.  It’ll deliver lethal amounts of the venom into the bloodstream, effectively taking out whatever vampire trips the wire.”

“What’s the point of all of this?” Jeremy demanded sharply.  “What do you get out of this?”

“You I used to think that there was no ‘get’ that I was just supposed to do; kill vampires.  That is, until I realized that the mark on my arm held the answer to the question of what I am.  The more I kill, the more it grows.  And once it’s complete, all of this will have meant something.  Hey!  We’re going to have visitors soon.  So get up!  Move!”  Connor moved away from Jeremy and waved his hands at the trio still sitting.  “And before you even think of trying escape, I want you to know that I have every exit wired.  Now move!”

.

.

.

“Look man, I know you don’t know me, but this guy is highly dangerous.”  Tyler was a short distance from the others, far enough that they couldn’t hear him.  Hayley was on his right hand side, arms crossed and brows furrowed as she listened to Tyler speak to this new hybrid, Dean.  Hayley was restless, and alternated between glaring at the ground and her old pack mate. 

“I can handle myself,” The newbie defended, “besides, Klaus asked me personally to do this for him.”

“This is a really bad idea,” Tyler said shortly.  “Do you think Klaus cares about you?  This is a sire bond talking, man.”

Caroline, who’d just arrived on the scene and was initially going to go over to Rick’s old apartment, detoured towards her boyfriend.  She started over to them, hesitating only a little when she saw Hayley.  When she arrived, she spoke to her first.  “Um, who are you?”

“Who are _you_?” Hayley snapped.

“Caroline,” The blonde vampire replied, startled at the hostility.

Hayley leaned back a little and nodded knowingly.  “Right.  You’re Tyler’s girl; he mentioned you.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate, because he’s never mentioned you before,” Caroline crossed her arms and huffed.

“I’ve been staying with Tyler for a few days,” Hayley shrugged a little.  Her yes wandered back to Dean.

“Excuse me?” Caroline asked shortly.  “What did you say?”

“What?” Hayley looked irritated.  “I needed a place to stay, Tyler’s a buddy, and he was nice enough to offer.”

“How about you say we cut the crap?” Caroline asked sharply and took a step towards Hayley.  The werewolf arched her brows and held up her hands.

“Listen, Caroline, I don’t really _do_ teen drama.  Take it up with Ty, okay?  Now excuse me.” She stepped around Caroline and went to talk to Tyler, who wasn’t having any luck at all talking with Dean.  He was intent on doing Klaus’ bidding, and Tyler wasn’t getting through to him.  Caroline followed her over to the boys and heard Hayley pick up where Tyler left off, trying to convince the hybrid that this was a suicide mission.

“What’s going on here?  I thought he was helping us get Jeremy and everyone out of the Grill,” Caroline said.

“Yeah, well, I’m a little concerned for Dean, the guy who is taking on Connor alone,” Tyler said shortly. 

“He won’t be alone; Steph and Damon are going in too, Tyler, and we’ll all be waiting outside the Grill in case Connor leaves the building,” Caroline argued.  “That was the plan.  We need him.”

“See?  The little lady understands,” Dean said gruffly, and he shook off Hayley and Tyler’s advances.  “I’ve got a direct order from Klaus, and I have to carry it out.  Now excuse me.  I’m sorry, Hayley.”  He stalked over to the front door of the Grill, leaving the three other supernaturals behind.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” Hayley said flatly.  “Because Klaus turned him and half of my pack from the Appalachians in less than two days.”

“We’ll get him back somehow,” Tyler reassured her.

.

.

.

Jeremy was the only one in the main part of the Grill left, besides Connor, when the landline rang shrilly.  His head jerked up and Connor lazily picked up the phone and cradled it between his ear and shoulder.

“We’re closed.”

“I want you to free the hostages,” Stephanie’s voice echoed through the receiver and Jeremy tensed.

“Only after you’ve given me what I want; you and all of those like you in Mystic Falls, dead,” Connor said lowly.

“That’s not going to happen, sorry,” Stephanie replied easily, confidently.  “You free the hostages and we’ll have a talk, okay?  Klaus is interested in you; he told me, himself just today.  You must be pretty important to him, a big bad Original.  Aren’t you the least bit curious why?”

Connor growled and slammed down the phone.  Jeremy watched in silence as Connor prepared more of his toxic fluid to fill the bombs.  He started forward, but Connor growled, “You may be a Potential Hunter, but you make one move and I will gun you down faster than you can blink.”

“They’re not all bad, you know,” Jeremy said and swallowed thickly.  Remembered Stephanie’s fangs inches from his jugular, so different from her gentle caresses.  “Some of them are my friends.  One was a lover.”

“Friends,” Connor snorted.  “I used to have a friend like that.  She got turned by this vampire I was hunting.  He thought it would be ironic.” He shook his head.

Jeremy felt dread fill him, but he let none of that enter his voice as he asked, “What happened to her?”

“I didn’t want to hurt her,” Connor said quietly, “she promised she would keep it under control but . . . a vampire is like a loaded gun.  Eventually it’s going to go off.  That’s where I got this.” He pulled his jacket off and showed Jeremy the beginnings of his tattoo.

“So you killed your own friend?” Jeremy pulled back, disgusted.  He couldn’t imagine . . .

“Listen!” Connor shouted. “If you’re going to be like me, you need to understand; vampires kill humans, and Hunters kill vampires.”

“I don’t want to be like you,” Jeremy hissed.  “Twisted.  Empty inside.”

“That’s too bad,” Connor said and then his head turned.  “They’re coming.  Get down.”  He flicked on the radio on full blast, turned the lights off, and made Jeremy duck down behind the bar.  The door opened and they saw someone unfamiliar creep inside, set over the wire, but set off the landing mat in front of the door.  A huge explosion went off, shoving the vampire off its feet and careening towards the floor.  It slowly stood, red faced and bullet ridden.  A hybrid, Jeremy slowly realized.  Connor hopped over the bar and opened fire on it with his gun, shooting it in the chest.  The hybrid fell to the floor and did not get up again.

The music was still blasting, like a bad action movie flick’s soundtrack, and made everything feel surreal.  Jeremy paced, angry, as Connor stripped his jacket and his tattoo visible grew up his shoulder.  The Hunter flicked off the radio and the sudden silence was startling.  Jeremy saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head in time to see Stephanie ghosting across the room.  Connor picked up his gun and aimed.

Fired.

Missed.

“Connor!  Connor you don’t have to do this!” Stephanie shouted, but Connor opened fire again.  She ghosted again and Jeremy ran and stumbled to keep out of Connor’s way.

“Stephanie!” Jeremy called when Connor paused again.  He looked down and swallowed thickly; he was standing on another of Connor’s traps, a replica of the one the hybrid triggered.

“Connor we can end this right now!” Stephanie called from her hidden position.  There was a tremor in her voice that told Jeremy she’d seen the predicament he was in.  “Just come with me and we’ll talk.  This place is surrounded.”

“Sure, come on out and I’ll give you the gun,” Connor promised and raised it.  He shot a warning bullet at an overhead light.

“Just let Jeremy go.”

“He’s not going to listen Steph,” Another voice joined Stephanie’s and Damon and Connor both jerked to see Damon entered in from the back.

“Where’d the kids go?” Connor demanded.

“I got them out safe and sounds,” Damon smirked.  He raised his hands.  “Now, let’s talk about this like grown up, shall we?”

“I don’t negotiate with vampires,” Connor spat and his face twisted up into a nasty scowl.  “I’m going to shoot him on the count of three . . . one, two, three!”  The gun went off and Damon sped towards Jeremy and knocked him off of his feet.  The bullet went wide and the bomb beneath Jeremy’s feet went off, blinding nearly everyone in the room and left their ears ringing.  Stephanie took advantage and went after Connor, ripping the gun out of his hands and sent it skittering across the Grill’s dirty and now ashy, floor.

“You almost killed him,” Stephanie hissed into Connor’s ear and felt her fangs elongating and the veins popping out of her skin, eyes darkening.  “Would you have done it?”

“If he’s allying himself with vampires, the world is better off without him,” Connor spat.

“Wrong answer,” Stephanie snarled and her hand plunged into the Hunter’s chest cavity and she squeezed the organ.  Connor choked.  “Your life is in my hands, dick.  How does it feel?”  Connor coughed and blood came up.  Stephanie tore his heart from his chest and threw it across the room, where it made a squelching sound as it hit the wall and then the floor.

She sat back on the floor and listened as Damon helped up Jeremy and they stood together.  “You okay, Jere?” Stephanie called quietly.

“Fine,” He said shortly.  “You?”

“Fantastic,” She muttered.

“Well, that’s everyone accounted for,” Damon interceded.  “Matt, Anna, and April are all outside in the loving care of Caroline and Elena; Jeremy’s here with us, and Connor’s lying on the cold, hard ground.  Who’s up for dinner?”

.

.

.

“This isn’t working,” Bonnie sighed.  “I still feel . . . full, overwhelmed.  Like Expression is about to burst out of my skin.  I guess I just can’t get into hypnosis.  I’m sorry.”

“Bloody hell, Bonnie, you’ve been under for hours,” Kol said shortly.  “It didn’t help?”

“It’ll take time,” Shane soothed them and poured some more tea.  “It might a few sessions, but I think we’ll get to a point where Bonnie feels in control.  We’ll try some exercises with your magic next time, I swear.”  He shot Kol an inquisitive glance.  “And I would really like for you to come back, Kol.  You can show me what you can do next time.”

“Sounds great, Professor, but we really need to go.”  Kol stood and after a moment, Bonnie did too.

“Bye, Shane,” Bonnie smiled at the teacher and shook his hand.  “We’ll come back soon, okay?  Thank you for giving your time.”

“Not a problem at all, Bonnie.  Anytime,” Shane grinned, and saw them out.  Kol and Bonnie walked to her car, the vampire suspicious and grumpy from sitting in a stuffy office all day.

“Now can we talk about the Cure and everything that entails?” He grouched.

“Fine.”

“The Cure is the “ultimate weapon” against Silas.  It’s a cure for vampirism and the bloody invisible tattoo on the Hunter of the Five is a map leading to it.”

“Which is buried with Silas,” Bonnie nodded and started the car.  She turned on her phone again at the same time.  “Which means that . . .?”

“You’d have to wake Silas to get the Cure, I imagine,” Kol said grimly.  “Klaus plans on using the Hunter to find the Cure and use it on Elena so that he can make more hybrids.”  He paused.  “I won’t let Klaus wake Silas just so he can have more hybrids, Bonnie.  It’ll be Armageddon.”

“We’re in total agreement,” Bonnie said firmly.  “Let’s the apocalypses to Buffy.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bonnie waved his question away.  “So the first thing we need to do when we get back to Mystic Falls is tell them about the Cure and everything you know about it.”

“Right,” Kol agreed, a little reluctantly.  “Why do we need to do that?  Won’t they want the Cure for themselves?”

“Not if it means the end of the world,” Bonnie argued.  “Now, where’s Klaus?”

“In Italy getting the sword needed to decode the tattoo’s map,” Kol explained.  “Who knows when he’ll be back?”

“Then we need to figure something out before he comes home.”

.

.

.

“I’m so sorry about Dean,” Tyler consoled Hayley at his house, holding he gently against his chest and rubbing circles onto her back.  “I tried to stop him.”

“I can’t believe he’s gone.  We could have saved him.”

“I apologize, am I intruding?”  They broke apart to see a furious Caroline standing in the doorway.  “I keep hoping you’ll tell me some bullshit story so at least I can call you a liar.”

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Tyler started quietly.

“I’ll let you two talk,” Hayley said quietly and she started to walk away.

“Oh thanks, how big of you,” Caroline said, venom in her voice.  She and Hayley glared as the dark headed girl left them alone.

“Caroline, you have to understand –“

“No.  You don’t tell me what I have to do, Tyler,” Caroline pointed at herself.  “I waited for you.  I waited for you while you went off for weeks!  And I was so happy when you came back!  But this whole time you’ve been keeping this, this secret from me?  You fell in love with some werewolf girl from the Appalachians?”

“Caroline, she saved my life!  I almost died trying to break the sire bond!  But she helped me through it, Caroline.  We’re not in love or in lust, or whatever.  She’s just a friend,” Tyler defended.  “Just listen to me, please.  There are other hybrids that need to be set free.  Hayley and I can help them.  But if Klaus found out what we were doing, he would kill us.”

“What do you mean, there are more?”

“You don’t think that he just made one, do you?  Obviously he kept some of Elena’s human blood and had it hidden somewhere.  Dean talked about them, and Hayley and I are going to find them. They were all a part of her pack, you know?  We owe it to them.”

Caroline bit her lip, but allowed herself to be held in Tyler’s arms.

.

.

.

Stephanie stood beneath the showerhead and allowed the scalding water to wash over her body.  The blood was long gone and her clothes burned, but she could somehow still smell it clogging in her nostrils.  Her hands trembled.  She’d killed another person _.  (His name was Connor.  She’d have to write it down)._   She’d lost control again.  Stephanie wondered when it was all going to catch up with her – the killing, the torturing.  Maybe it already had.

She stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off.  When she looked up, her bathroom looked like a horror movie’s scene.  Blood was dripping off of the walls and her bathroom mirror had been written on with the stuff.  _Murderer,_ it said.  Stephanie stepped backwards into the wall and dropped her towel.  She blinked and the writing was gone.  Slowly, she sank to the floor and thought, _I’m finally going crazy._

Dimly, she heard someone else speak.  “It’s about damn time, too.”  Stephanie looked up.

Her father stood in the doorway to her bathroom, backlit by the moonlight.

“Father?”

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.

.

tbc.


	6. and the world was gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Crawling in my skin  
> These wounds they will not heal  
> Fear is how I fall  
> Confusing what is real.”

“So let me get this straight.  The Hunters of the Five were created by a witch descended from this Qetsiyah chick, in order to get rid of all vampires, hoping that they’d accidentally find Silas – the original immortal and her ex-boyfriend – and kill him with some ultimate weapon thing that happens to be a Cure for vampirism, which you can find because of a map on each Hunter’s arm, that grows with each vampire kill and can only be decoded with a special sword that Klaus found in Italy.  But wait – Klaus wants the Cure to turn Elena human so he can make a lot of hybrids, but you two think that in order to get the Cure, he has to raise Silas, which will bring hell on earth.  Does that sound about right?  Oh, and there’s probably a witch needed in that equation too, somewhere.”

Bonnie and Kol exchanged glances.  They’d all convened at the Salvatore Boarding House – that is, Bonnie, Kol, Elena and Damon – to share information about the Cure and Silas.  Caroline and Tyler were mysteriously absent and Jeremy, Anna and Matt were at the school building, considering they actually needed to graduate.  Bonnie and Kol, hearing a condensed version of everything they’d explained spat back into their faces by a skeptical Damon Salvatore made it all seem highly unlikely.

“Yes.”  Kol nodded and crossed his arms.  “That’s the gist, darling.” 

“I need a drink,” Damon muttered and he turned around and went searching for a glass and a bottle.

“If you’re taking requests, I’d like some Jack Daniel’s,” Kol hollered after him.

“Bonnie, you have to realize how crazy all this sounds,” Elena said gently.  “Are you sure the Expression isn’t messing with your head?”

“I’m absolutely positive, Elena, listen to me,” Bonnie sat forward in the couch and Elena scooted closer to her friend, “I’m not crazy, this isn’t a ploy or a trick.  There is a Cure for vampirism and Klaus is looking for it to turn you human.  And unless you want the veil to the Other Side to come down – which would be very bad – and live your life as a human blood bag and subject your descendants to that, then we need to play along with Klaus and get the Cure so we can shove it Silas’ throat.”

“What if the Cure isn’t real?” Elena asked quietly.  “What if this is some made-up vampire myth?”

“Klaus still believes it exists,” Kol told her, “and so that means you’re in danger, sweet.  If you don’t believe us, that’s your issue, but at least go along with us.”

Damon returned with his bourbon and new Jack Daniel’s for Kol.  “I think it’s a whole waste of time, but if I get to laugh in your face at the end of it, why the hell not.”

“Damon,” Elena warned.  “Be serious.”

“I am.” Damon tipped his glass towards her.

“Okay, let’s say it really is a Cure,” Elena allowed and focused on Bonnie.  “We can’t actually take it?”

“No, darling, because as we explained, to get the Cure, you have to release Silas, and we plan on making Silas take the Cure and die.  Otherwise, like I said, hell on earth.”  Kol rolled his eyes.  “And where’s your sister?  Isn’t she usually around for this stuff?  Offering an opinion?  Being morally self-righteous?”

Damon paused in the midst of the group.  “She’s been shut up in her room all morning, doing God knows what.  She didn’t make a sound when I said to come downstairs.”

“I hate to be the responsible one, but shouldn’t you check on her?” Kol made a large event as he stood slowly, stretching and smirking.  “Now, I believe Bonnie and I have to get to school.  Busy day – there’s an occult exhibit that Bonnie volunteered us for.”

.

.

.

Stephanie had tossed and turned all night, her mind riveted on seeing her father and then disappearing.  The blood had magically gone from her bathroom as if it had never been there, and she’d heard whispers all night long.  They were all very familiar and sounded as if they were in pain, and when they were screaming, they were accusing her.  _Murderer.  Ripper.  Killer._

“Can’t sleep?” Stephanie’s eyes flashed opened to see slight streaming in through her bedroom mirror.  She searched her room, but saw no one.  “I’m over here.”  Steph shot up in bed and swung her head around, heart pounding in her ears.  Connor Jordan was standing at the foot of her bed.  “You know?  It makes sense.  Guilty conscience.”

Stephanie flew backwards and hit her headboard.  “You’re dead.  You’re not really here.”

“How do you know that?” Connor asked curiously.  He tilted his head.  “Go on.”

“I killed you.”  Stephanie’s hands clenched the bed sheets.  She slowly released them.

“That’s right,” Connor said, nodding his head.  “You killed me.  But I wasn’t the first, was I?  The person who received that pleasure is over there.”  He pointed toward her bedroom door.

Stephanie spun around.  Her mother was standing there, long dark curls hanging around her face, bright blue eyes piercing Steph’s heart.  She was as white as a sheet.  “I didn’t kill you,” Stephanie said firmly and she swung herself off of her bed.  “You were sick.”

“Why was I sick, Stephanie?” Victoire Salvatore asked gently.  Her eyes were so sad.

“It happened; there wasn’t good medicine back then,” Stephanie snapped but her hands were trembling and her voice was rising.  “I didn’t kill you.”

“I never did recover from your birth,” Victoire said sadly.  “I got sick a lot more until one day came and I couldn’t shake it.  That was your fault, darling.”

“No, no, no,” Stephanie clapped her hands over her ears.  Victoire came closer and reached out her hands as if to strangle her.  Stephanie rushed her mother and shoved her up against the wall of her bedroom.  “Go away!”

“Steph!  What the hell is wrong with you?”  Stephanie blinked and her mother’s visage melted to form Damon’s.  She dropped her hands to her sides and felt cold inside.  If Damon hadn’t been a vampire, she’d have killed him.  She turned her head, but Connor was gone too.  “Stephanie?”

“I saw Mom.  She was going to hurt me,” Steph said listlessly.  “Connor was here.”

Damon slowly reached toward Steph, his hands opened palmed.  “Mom?  Stephanie, she’s been dead for almost two centuries . . . and you killed Connor yesterday.”  He gently placed his hands onto her shoulders.  “Why don’t you get dressed?  Then you can come downstairs, okay?”

“I know they’re both dead,” Stephanie said sharply.  He was acting as if she was a glass doll and if he touched her too hard she would shatter into a million pieces.  “I’m going to take a shower,” She said quietly and turned.  She shut the bathroom door behind her and stripped, stepping into the searing hot water.  Her memories of the bathroom weren’t pleasant, but she felt like there was grime all over her skin and it was driving her crazy . . . Stephanie opened her eyes because the grimy feeling wasn’t washing off.  In fact, it felt like it was . . . intensifying.  She reached for a scrub but froze mid motion; her arms were covered in blood.  Her entire shower was coated in it – it was raining out of her faucet head.

She screamed loudly and shrilly.

She flew backwards out of her shower and tore out of the bathroom, dripping blood all over the floor.  It was in her eyes and ears and mouth, choking and blinding her.  Hands were on her arms, shaking her and wrapping her up in the blanket.  They deposited her onto her bed, and rubbed circles onto her back.

“Wake up, Stephanie.  It’s not real.  It’s not real.”  Steph blinked and Damon came into view.  Beyond him stood Elena in her doorway.

“Damon, I hate to bother you, but Klaus –” Elena paused.

“What about Klaus?” Damon demanded.

“He’s at the front door and wants inside.  What’s going on up here?” Elena came into the bedroom, padding softly on the balls of her feet.  “Damon?  Steph?”

“I’m getting dressed,” Stephanie said and shook Damon off and scoured her room for clothes and shoved herself into them.

“Damon?” Elena asked again.

“She’s hallucinating,” Klaus’ voice floated towards the trio and they turned to look at him as he sauntered in behind Elena.  He addressed Steph then, “I tried calling you back, love, but you didn’t pick up.  I tried to warn you about Connor.”

“What about Connor?” Elena demanded sharply, stepping in front of her friend and boyfriend.  She crossed her arms protectively. 

“I once killed all of the Hunters of the Five,” Klaus explained, blue eyes riveted onto Stephanie.  “I know what the consequences are.  Hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires; if you prevent one from completing his destiny, he’ll take you down with him.  It’s called the Hunter’s Curse.”

“What does that mean?” Stephanie asked, sitting up.

“Love, it means that you’re going to hallucinate until you kill yourself just to escape it all,” Klaus said almost gently.  “I’ll need you to come with me now.”

“That’s not happening,” Damon said flatly.

“It’s for her own good, really,” Klaus said.  “I’ll make sure she stays away from any sharp wooden objects.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Damon stood next to Elena, making a united front, “and I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Klaus looked between the two of them and seemed to be fighting a smirk.  He crossed his arms and gazed beyond the couple and into Stephanie’s fatigued eyes and kept it.

“I’ll do it.”

“Stephanie, no!” Elena replied, aghast.  “This is Klaus we’re talking about!”

“If I’m going to be killing myself I’d rather it not be in front of the two of you,” Stephanie said shortly and in the next moment there was a whiz of air; within the blink of an eye, Klaus and Steph had vanished from the boarding house and there was not a sign of them left.

“Well, damn.”

“What do we do now?” Elena asked and she sunk onto Stephanie’s unmade bed.

“What we always do we have a problem,” Damon replied lightly.  “Call Bonnie.”  So Elena pulled out her cell and called her friend and urged her to come back from the exhibit and to the boarding house because they had an issue that had come up since she’d left.

Bonnie arrived by herself with an air of annoyance that grew into agitation after Damon and Elena explained their new issues in the living room next to their crackling fire.  “So, then you lost her?”

“I wouldn’t say it exactly like that . . .” Damon trailed off uneasily.

“I’m worried about what Klaus said about this Hunter’s Curse thing,” Elena put in anxiously.  “How does he even know about this stuff?”

Bonnie rubbed and forehead.  “I’ll see if there’s something I can do with Expression to break this Curse.  But first, I need to go and ask Kol or Shane about it and see what exactly we’re dealing with here.  This might be more complicated than we know.”

“I’ll come with you,” Elena said and grasped Bonnie’s hand reassuringly.

“Great.  Have fun,” Damon said shortly and circumvented the girls.  He stalked out of the room and into the foyer.  Elena and Bonnie exchanged exasperated looks and followed him.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Stephanie!” Damon hollered and then slammed the boarding house door hard enough to make the walls rattle.

.

.

.

Jeremy had woken up, picked himself off of his bed, and managed to get himself to school in time (miraculously) to help with Bonnie’s professor’s exhibit thing.  Bonnie was there, with her ever present shadow, along with Anna and Matt.  He’d even caught sight of a compelled April, who’d grinned and waved cheerily at Jeremy.  He’d smiled back at her, conflicted over his happiness that she didn’t have to remember the trauma of the day before, but also a deep wave of regret.

When he’d gotten to school, he’d taken notice of something that he’d never seen before on his body: the beginnings of the same tattoo Connor had had on his hand.

“Hey, man?” Jeremy flagged down Matt, who was hauling around a box.  Anna was, surprisingly, not by his side. 

“What’s up?” Matt asked.  He didn’t look like he’d slept well the night before, not that Jeremy could blame him.  Being held hostage by a vampire hunting maniac was no walk in the park. 

“Do you see something on my hand?” Jeremy asked.  He lifted up the appendage in question and wiggled his fingers around a bit.

Matt looked at Jeremy quizzically.  “No.  Should I?”  Well, that confirmed it, Jeremy thought to himself.  He wasn’t only just a Potential Hunter anymore, surely – now he was one of the Five.

“What if I told you I saw the beginning of a mark like Connor’s?” Jeremy whispered urgently.  Matt put down his box and folded his arms across his chest and leant forward.

“Are you serious?” He asked tiredly.

“Yes.”  Jeremy nodded.  “I think it showed up after Connor died, but I didn’t really notice until now.  He told me I was Potential, which was why I could see his mark.”

“What?  Does that make you the next chosen one?” Matt demanded.  “Like – like Buffy or something?”

“I think so,” Jeremy said and swallowed.  He felt his palms sweating nervously.  Being a Hunter of the Five sounded cool in theory, sure; super strength and really good reflexes, but a lot of his friends – his family – were vampires.  Would he want to hurt them?  Surely it was a choice.

“Hey guys,” April’s cheery voice greeted them and a spot of warmth rose in Jeremy’s belly.  He turned around and felt Matt tense a little beside him.  April was smiling at them happily, and at her side was a teacher type with curly black hair and red shirt and a plaid jacket.

“Hey April.” Matt said and Jeremy quickly repeated.  She blushed at Jeremy and looked down.

“Don’t let her do the heaving lifting herself,” The man beside April said with a smile.  He hefted a large stone in his hands.  “She was carrying heavy thing around the halls and I had to rescue her.  Just teasing.”  He shoved the stone into the crook of his elbow and eagerly shook both Jeremy and Matt’s hands.  “I’m in charge of all of this freaky stuff, actually; I’m Professor Atticus Shane, but please, call me Shane, I beg of you.  Thank you for helping, I really appreciate it.  You all get free admission tonight to the exhibit, I promise.”  He waved them off and then took the stone with him as he left them in the hallway.

April frowned to herself.  “He looks so familiar . . .” Jeremy and Matt shrugged, and then the latter retrieved his box and shot Jeremy a look that said they’d be continuing their conversation later.

“So, you wanna help me out here?” Jeremy asked and April nodded.

“I’d love to.”

.

.

.

“So, am I your prisoner now?” Stephanie drawled as Klaus pulled her along by the hand through his mansion.  “Just because I don’t want Damon and Elena to see me self-destruct doesn’t mean I want to spend my last hours with you, you lying, psychotic creep.  Maybe I want to do this alone.”

“I wouldn’t call you a prisoner,” Klaus tsked.  “Besides, this was entirely voluntary.”  He ignored the name calling for the moment.

“So you’re saying I can leave whenever I want?” Klaus’ grip was strong but gentle as he pulled her into a bedroom with no windows and a sturdy door.  Stephanie was furious with herself for noticing the way his hands felt on her.

“Of course not, but why would you want to leave?” Klaus grinned and he pulled the door shut behind him.

“Oh, I don’t know.”  Stephanie rolled her eyes and sat on the large bed.  She curled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees.  “Maybe because you’re a psychopathic control freak who takes advantage of teenage vampires when they’re going crazy.”

“I am not a control freak,” Klaus denied sharply. 

“It says a lot about your character that you’ll deny that but not the psychotic and manipulative accusations,” Stephanie pointed out dryly.

“No one ever said I was perfect.”  Klaus looked at her aloofly.  “I apologize for the lack of windows, love.  This is my art room see, and so it’s designed to preserve my pieces.  And of course, it’s to make sure that you don’t slip off your daylight and kill yourself.”

“Of course,” Steph mocked and then sighed.  “What makes you think that I’m going to kill myself?”

“You’ll want to,” Klaus assured her, suddenly deadly serious.  He walked toward her.  “I certainly did.  But you see I had a problem; I am truly immortal.  No matter how hard I tried, how many witches I sought out, how long I waited for something to end it; death would not come for me.  For 52 years, 4 months, and 9 days . . . I was tormented in my every waking moment, my every dream . . . with the relentless, never-ending torture.”

Stephanie licked her lips.  “This happened to you. Before.  Before we met?”

“Yes.  It was one of the only times in my life that I actually felt the time passing,” Klaus mused darkly.

“And you knew this would happen if someone killed Connor?” Stephanie asked and her fingers curled.

“I tried to warn you,” Klaus said quietly, intensely.  “I called you several times.”

“Yes, well, ten voicemails are more than enough to get my attention.  I just didn’t want to listen to them,” Stephanie said lowly.

“If you’d listened to them, you wouldn’t be in this mess,” Klaus growled.

“Don’t blame this on me,” Stephanie snapped, jumping up from the bed.  She pointed a finger into Klaus’ chest.  “Excuse me for thinking you’d be waxing poetically about how you loved me and missed me, considering all the stuff we just went through.  I didn’t want to hear it anymore.”

Klaus recoiled and glared.

“How long do I have to be here?” Stephanie demanded after a moment of tense silence.  “What makes it go away?”

“Nothing,” Klaus breathed.  “One day it just . . . stopped.  So we could be in a for long few decades love, full of my _poetic waxing_.  Sleep well.”  He turned on his heel and slammed the door.  Stephanie heard a lock sliding into place.

She stood and paced anxiously.  “Somebody’s upset,” Connor drawled.

“Would you just go away?” Steph snapped angrily.

“I can’t.  I’m going to be with you forever – a constant reminder of what you are,” Connor explained.  “So, I’m curious; how does it feel to drain the life out of people?  Out of me?  What about him?” He pointed across the room and despite herself, Steph’s eyes followed.

Her father was striding toward her and Steph flinched.  “Such a disappointment,” Giuseppe said and she could hear the disgust in his voice with her.  “You were my little girl.  My sweet little angel.  If you’d been a boy, you would have been perfect, you know.  I would have wanted you to inherit everything.”

“Sorry I ruined your plans,” Stephanie muttered and closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

“Damon was always a disappointment, but you . . . I had hope for you!” Giuseppe snapped.  “And then you and he befriended that vampire . . . and you let her turn you into monsters!  And then you killed me!”

“I’m sorry,” Stephanie said, looking up.  “Is that what you want me to say?” She demanded harshly and stood.  She flung out an arm.  “Well, I’m sorry!  I’m sorry I hurt Mom and I hurt you.  I’m sorry I killed the Founders and their families.  I’m sorry I killed those people in New Orleans and New York and Monterrey.”  She laughed loudly and it bounced off the walls eerily.  “Someone get me some paper and I’ll write a damn list of every person I’ve ever killed.  Do you really think I haven’t obsessed over this for my entire life?  If that’s the case, you’ve underestimated me, _Father_.”

“No, Stephanie,” Giuseppe said slowly.  “I overestimated you.”

“Excuse me?” Steph drew backward.

“I thought you’d have killed yourself already,” Giuseppe said.  “Get rid of one of the monsters that haunt humans’ dreams.  A _ripper_ , that’s what they call you.  Wouldn’t you rather be dead than a murderer?” It’s not like the thought hadn’t occurred to her before.  She’d tried.  But there was always someone to stop her, always someone that needed something, needed her. 

“I think you’re lying,” Connor said suddenly.  Stephanie looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“I think you’re lying.  You enjoyed killing all those people.  You’re not sorry.  You’d do it all over again,” He pushed her.

“No.  I’m not lying,” Stephanie argued, “I’ve punished myself for years over each and every person I’ve killed.”

“You’re lying,” Connor said flatly. 

“I’m not!”

“Admit the truth!  _You enjoyed draining the lives out of those people_!”  Connor roared.

Steph’s hands tore through her hair and she screamed back at Connor.  “Fine!  I liked it – no, I _revele_ d in it!  There’s a reason I was called the Ripper, Connor Jordan!  I killed and loved the taste and sensation of the blood in my mouth – the power I got from holding their lives in _my_ hands!  And then I found the one person who was even more destructive than I was and we were _perfect_.  And I loved him.  Is that what you wanted to hear?  Are you happy now?”

“I’m not happy, I’m dead.  I had a family – a brother, parents.”  Connor said.

“I’m sorry.”  Stephanie looked away.

“Are you sorry about your parents?  You were a killer at birth,” Connor said dispassionately.  “Your poor mother.”

“Stop, I’ve already been through this,” Stephanie snapped and pressed her hands to her eyes.  “I didn’t kill my mom.  I killed my dad and he’s over there, judging me.” She made a vague motion toward Giuseppe in the corner.

“They died because of you,” Connor said.  “I won’t stop until your last breath.”

“Okay, so they died because of me,” Stephanie said.  “There’s nothing I can do about it now.  There’s nothing I can do about any of their deaths now.”

“You can get rid of the problem,” Her mother laid a hand on her shoulder.  She whispered into her ear.  “You can kill yourself, my sweet.  Come on, flower.  Do it for the people you’ll kill in the future if you don’t.”

“Everyone stop talking!” Stephanie clamped her hands over her ears and sank to the floor.  “Every just stop!”

.

.

.

“Caroline, my dear, good friend, how are you doing today?”

“Damon, shut up.”  Caroline glared.  “What do you want?”

Damon raised his hands placating.  “Okay.  Just, you and Tyler are snug little rabbits, right?  I mean, you guys are still doing the dirty together?”

Caroline put her hands on her hips.  “Do you _want_ me to get my mom’s gun?”

“Tyler’s a hybrid,” Damon cut to the chase.  “I need you to get him to call off Klaus’ other hybrids.  Occupy them for a while so I can get in and get Stephanie, and then get out.  Easy as pie.”

Caroline’s face abruptly softened.  “Elena told me about Steph.”

“Yeah, so you know she needs our help.  So?  Hybrids?  Tyler?” Damon pressed impatiently.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you . . .” Caroline trailed off.  “You should come inside.  You’ve been invited before, right?”  It was Tyler’s house, and so yes, Damon had been invited before.  He stepped over the threshold and moved around Caroline without touching her and strode to the living room.

“Well?” He asked, bored.

“Let me get Tyler,” Caroline said and held up one finger.  “Just a minute.”  She disappeared and then reappeared with Tyler.  “Okay.”

“Well?  What’s this big secret?” Damon demanded.  “I’m short on time here, okay?  Who knows what the hell Klaus is doing with my sister?”

“I should probably start with my time in the Appalachian Mountains,” Tyler said, almost to himself.  Then, to do, “That’s where I met Hayley and her pack of wolves.  She helped me break the sire bond by forcing myself to turn, over and over again.  Eventually, it worked.”

“The point being?” Damon asked shortly.

“When Hayley showed up here, I thought it was a coincidence.  But it turned out the new hybrids that Klaus has are Hayley’s old pack from the mountains,” Tyler said grimly.  “So she knows them, and I do too, a little.  She’s been trying to help one of them.  And she came to help get the rest of them from under Klaus.”

“So, are you telling me that they’re not sired anymore?” Damon squinted.

“No.” Tyler shook his head.  “I’m saying that one of them isn’t sired anymore.”

“Chris,” Caroline clarified.

Damon smirked.  “You dog.  So, let’s get started then.  Call your buddies.”  Tyler gave him a sour look, but called over Hayley and asked her to bring Chris with her – it was important.

They arrived in relatively quickly.  “What is it?” Chris asked sharply as he stalked inside, followed by an irate Hayley.  “Klaus is going to know that I’m missing.”

“Then we’ll be quick,” Tyler said.  “He,” Tyler indicated Damon, who wiggled his fingers in greeting, “needs you to help spring his sister.”

“No can do,” Chris immediately shook his head.  “Klaus has got her under lock and key and commanded everyone – and I mean _everyone_ – to make sure nothing happens to that girl.”

Damon stood.  “Well, you see, that girl is my baby sister.  And she’s trapped with a psycho.  You can see the problem, right?  I’ll cause a distraction, and you grab Stephanie.  You won’t be implicated.  It’ll be fine.”

Chris glowered.

.

.

.

They’d set everything up in the gymnasium and Shane was standing up on a stage.  He had several pictures erected, but the main centerpiece and focus of his current lecture was the large rock that he’d taken from April earlier in the hallway.  He looked and spoke about it almost reverently, giving the apparent first headstone glowing praises.  April, Anna, Matt and Jeremy stood in the back row.

“It was donated to Whitmore College last month,” Shane was saying as his lecture was coming to a close.

“Oh!” April let out a sudden noise of recognition.

“What is it?” Anna asked her inquisitively.    

“I just remembered where I’ve seen Professor Shane,” April shared.  “I knew him through my father.”  Unbeknownst to her, the trio around her exchanged wary looks.

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy asked.  “How’d they know each other?”

“He taught a theology seminar last year at Whitmore,” April said.  She frowned at Shane curiously. 

The Professor was then talking about the immortal, Silas, and how he cast a spell to make himself so with “-the help of a witch named Qetsiyah, who was in love in him.  Unfortunately for Qetsiyah, Silas was in love with someone else and so wanted to use the immortality spell on his love and himself.  He managed to spell himself, but not his lover in time; seeing as Qetsiyah was jealous, of course, she killed Silas’ love and then buried Silas alive.  He was alone.  And you know this might be the origin story of hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”  The crowd laughed and Jeremy noticed Elena, Bonnie and Kol for the first time.

They were whispering amongst themselves, and continued to do so until Shane finished his miniature lecture and walked toward Bonnie.

“Come on, man,” Matt whispered.  “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jeremy said.

In the group at the front of the gymnasium, Bonnie introduced Shane to Elena.  “Shane, this is my friend Elena.  You know Kol.”  She inclined her head.

Kol gave a little halfhearted wave and Elena gave a nervous smile before sticking out her hand.  “Nice to meet you, Shane.”

“Likewise, Elena.”  Shane grinned at her.  “So, what can I do for you?”

“I had a question, actually.  Is that okay?  Bonnie said you knew a lot about all this occult stuff . . . and I saw your lecture,” Elena said quickly, “and I think you do.  Know your stuff, that is.”  She fished around her purse and pulled out a folded stack of papers.  She smoothed them out and then pushed them toward Shane.  “Have you ever heard of anything like this?”

Shane looked bemused as he took the papers and flicked through them.  “This is the Hunter’s Mark.  Where did you get it?”  His bemusement fell away and was replaced with a quiet sense of urgency.

“My brother likes to draw,” Elena said.  It wasn’t really a lie, after all.  “He saw something on the internet somewhere and then drew it.  Bonnie said it looked occult and suggested I ask you about it.”  It was a flimsy excuse, but it was the best they had on short notice.  “Do you know anything about the Hunter’s Curse?”

“Why?  Have you got a dead hunter in the back of your car or something?” Shane sounded entirely too serious for the supernaturals present.

“What would you happen to know about Hunters?” Kol asked suspiciously.  His hackles had been raised since Shane’s lecture about Qetsiyah and Silas.

“Please answer her question,” Bonnie asked softly.

Shane took a breath.  “Well, legend says that if a Hunter is killed by that which it hunts, then that _person_ will be cursed to walk the earth in torment, until . . .”

“Until . . . ?” Bonnie trailed off significantly.

“Until a new Hunter is reawakened and the legacy is passed on,” Shane said hurriedly and looked to be in some amount of distress.   “They’re called Potentials.  I have a bunch of research on it, why don’t I get it for you and come back?”

“Sure, thanks,” Bonnie smiled and Shane disappeared into the crowd.  She turned back to them.  “’A Potential Hunter’?”

“Jeremy,” Elena breathed.  “We need Jeremy.”

“You go find him and we’ll stay here and question Shame some more,” Bonnie said.  “Go.”

.

.

.

Sometime later, Stephanie wasn’t sure when, her parents and Connor disappeared into thin air.  She thought she’d have a reprieve, but it wasn’t to be.  “Stephanie Salvatore.  Innocent, sweet . . . but a little badass with a dark side . . . you hit all of the tropes, don’t you, Steph?”

“Katherine.”  Stephanie had to roll her eyes.  “Why am I seeing you?”

“Because you’re obsessed with me,” Katherine said with a sly grin.  “That’s okay, though.  A lot of people are.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Go away, Katherine.”

“Sorry.  Can’t.”

“What do want?” Steph demanded.

“To tell you I made a mistake,” Katherine said and examined her nails.  “I shouldn’t have given you my blood.  You’re a terrible vampire.  I mean, there’s _crazy_ , and then there’s _you_.  Most vampires learn control – they learn how to be around humans without tearing off their heads.  But you?  You can’t even do that right.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t left Damon and I to fend for ourselves . . .” Steph trailed off.

“Damon’s fine,” Katherine brushed her off.  “You’re just a freak.  You’re never going to learn moderation, so you should just forget about those little lessons with Dullena.  And let’s talk about Jeremy, while we’re talking about Gilberts.”

“Stop.”

“You and him are over, if you didn’t know,” Katherine pointed out with a curled lip.  “He hates you now that he knows what you’re really like.  But I mean, at least you still have Klaus.  He’s a total douche bag who probably kicks puppies for fun right after he mutilates his dinner, but at least you two have that in common.”

“Shut up!” Stephanie screamed and Katherine smirked.  The locks on her door turned and the heavy thing crept open.  “Go to hell, Klaus!”

“I’m not Klaus,” An unfamiliar man said as he stepped into her room.  Stephanie backed up warily and assessed him with narrowed green eyes.  “I’m here to get you out of here.  Damon sent me.”

“Damon?” Stephanie asked.

“Yeah.”

“Now’s the time,” Connor whispered into Steph’s ear.  “Get out of here now and you can kill yourself.  Free the world of one of its monsters.  It’ll be easy.”

“Easy . . .” Stephanie whispered.

“Um, what?” The hybrid asked, confused.  Stephanie took no more time and darted out of the room, leaving the man behind her.  She ran off of the Mikaelson property with the names of her kills ringing in her head as they all screamed at her.  Connor was keeping pace with her as she ran, whispering in her ear.

“Find somewhere.  Hide.  And then end it.”

“I’ll go where it started,” She murmured.

.

.

.

“What’s going on?” Jeremy asked when Elena found him and started to drag him out of the school building.

“We have an issue,” She said tiredly.  “You know about your Potential-Hunterness?”

“Um, yeah.  I kind of have to, considering it’s happening to me,” Jeremy pointed out.  “Why?  What happened?”

“There’s this thing called the Hunter’s Curse,” Elena explained, “that is put on anyone who kills a Hunter of the Five.”

“Stephanie,” Jeremy breathed.

“Yes.  When she killed Connor, she triggered the Curse.  Now she’s having hallucinations that are trying to get her to kill herself and it won’t stop until either she’s dead or another Hunter is activated.”

“Meaning, me,” Jeremy realized.  “So what do I have to do?”

“You have to kill a vampire,” Elena said grimly.  “That’s why we’re going to Klaus.  Damon’s there, trying to free Steph, but we need to ask if Klaus has any vampires he’ll let you kill for her.”

“We’re murdering someone to save someone,” Jeremy said.  He would do anything to save Stephanie’s life, he realized.  He wondered what kind of person he was that he would kill to save.

“What else do you suggest we do?” Elena stopped and turned her brother to face her.  She grabbed his chin.  “You loved her.  Are you going to let her die?” She sighed.  “That wasn’t fair of me.  I shouldn’t ask you this, but she’s our friend, Jere.”

“Yeah.”  Jeremy nodded.  He loved her still, he thought.  He would do this for her.  “I know.  Okay, I’ll do it.  Let’s just get to Klaus.”  He paused as they got into Elena’s car.  “Why is she with Klaus?”

“I – wait, my phone’s ringing,” Elena muttered and dug around for her cell in her purse.  Then she started the car and began the drive over to Klaus’.  “Damon?  What’s wrong?”

“Stephanie’s run off.  I’m going to look for her.  Did you figure out how to break the Curse?”

“Oh God.”  Elena looked fearfully to the sky, even though it was only midnight.  They had to find Steph before the sun came up.  Then Damon’s question registered and she explained the process to him.

“Okay.  Get Jeremy a vampire to kill, and then join me in looking for Steph,” Damon instructed and hung up the phone.

“Well?” Jeremy asked.

“We need to get to Klaus’,” was all Elena said on the matter.

.

.

.

_You killed me.  You killed your mother.  You killed your father.  You’ve killed hundreds.  You’re a monster.  A ripper.  Heartless.  Monstermonstermonstermonstermonster.  You’re the monster parents tell their children about at night.  You like it.  You relish in the kill you enjoy their pain you’re sick you’re useless. Why don’t you just end it?  You deserve to die._

_Shut up!_

“All of you just shut up!” Stephanie begged and she blinked her tearstained eyes to look around her.  “Fell’s Church,” She muttered.  “Where it all started.”  She pulled off the chain around her neck that harbored her ring and tossed it into the woods.  She sank to the ground and sat in the ruins of her old family home, curling up her body.  She rocked.

A large, warm hand brushed the hair off her forehead.  A whisper.  “You’re doing the right thing, angel.  You’re saving so many lives.” Giuseppe sat on her left.

“My daughter,” Her mother said and stroked her back.  She sat on her right.  “It’s okay, sweetie.  Thank you.  This is what you’re supposed to do.”

“Will it hurt?” Stephanie whispered.

“Yes,” Lexi said and she kneeled in front of her.  “But it’s only what you deserve, Steph.  You hurt so many.”

“It’s what I deserve,” Stephanie said slowly, tasting the words in her mouth.  “It’s what I deserve,” She said again, stronger.

“Yes,” Lexi said again.

“The sun will come up and this will all be over,” Her mother said softly and she cradled Steph’s head in her lap.  “This is the right thing.”

“Because I’m a monster.”  She’d known it all along, really.  “What about Damon?” She asked suddenly.

“If he was truly good, he’d be doing the same, princess,” Giuseppe consoled.  “One day, he’ll realize too what a monster he is.”

“But Damon’s not . . .” But maybe he was.  Stephanie was, and so was Klaus and Rebekah.  Caroline had killed someone.  Only Elena hadn’t, but she would one day.  It was their nature.

“Stephanie.”  She blinked and her ghosts disappeared.  Instead, there was Damon, once again there to rescue her.  It left a bitter taste in her mouth this time. 

“Damon.  How did you find me?”

“Well, last time it was the quarry, and I figured you’d want a change of scenery this time,” He drawled, but then squatted down next to her.  He sat.  “But really.  This place meant a lot to us.”

“Vampires kill people,” She said suddenly and squinted at him.  “You’ve always been right about that.  I tried to deny it for a while, but it doesn’t work.  I’m a vampire.  I kill things.  That’s all.”

“Look at you, looking at the glass half empty.  Let’s talk about this first, okay?” Damon’s voice was warm.  Kind.  But there was an underlying urgency in it.

“The sun is almost up,” Connor said and Damon was gone.  “Almost over.”

“Good,” Stephanie said through stiff lips.

“’Good’?  Steph?” Damon was back.  Connor was there too.  But so was Honoria Fell and Jonathan Gilbert.  Too many voices in one head.  Stephanie put her hands to her ears again to block them all out.  They were too loud.  “Stephanie.”

“Sh,” She murmured.  “Too many voices,” She told them all.  Go away.  Go awaygoawaygoaway.  I’m ending it so you can all go away now.  I’m ending it so you can all go away now.  I’mendingitsoyoucanallgoawaynow.

“There’s only me here,” Damon said quietly.  “No one else.”

“Stop lying,” Stephanie said.

“I’m not lying,” Damon said, affronted.  “I never lie.”

“Liar.”

“Maybe a little bit,” Damon admitted, “but not this time.  Pinky swear.”  He looked up to the sky and Steph was relieved to see it was lightening.  Almost time to go.  “No, it’s not almost time to go,” Damon said and glowered.  “You’re staying right here.”  His eyes narrowed.  “Where’s your ring?”

“I threw it away,” Stephanie said and made a vague motion in the wrong direction.

“You what?” Damon asked with deadly calm.

“I threw it away,” Stephanie repeated, “because they all told me to kill myself and I realized they were right.  I was born a killer, Damon.  I killed Mom.  And then I killed Dad.  Honoria Fell.  Jonathan Gilbert.  The Lockwood’s.  The Forbes.  The –”

Damon clapped a hand over her mouth.  “We don’t have time to argue right now.  You don’t deserve to die and you were not born a killer.  I’m going to find your ring.”  He stood and pulled a listless Stephanie along with him.

.

.

.

Klaus was furious – beyond furious, he was on the warpath and out for blood.  It was only too bad that he couldn’t wring little Jeremy Gilbert’s neck, seeing as he was nearest human.  Although . . . “Chris!” He roared and the Gilberts in front of him flinched.  They’d confessed about Damon, who was searching for Stephanie, and how they knew what to do to stop the hallucinations.  Klaus knew just the vampire they’d start with.

Chris arrived.  His eyes spotted the Gilberts and Klaus could smell the precise moment the younger hybrid knew he was about to die.  “Come here.”

“Klaus-” Elena started, but Klaus growled at her.  She stopped talking.

“Chris, stand here,” Klaus commanded.

“No,” Chris said, voice wobbly.  “I won’t die for you.”

“You are.  Your existence is to please me, to serve me.” Klaus corrected and forcibly man handled Chris into place.  “Now, Jeremy, it’s time for you to kill your first vampire.”

“But he helped us,” Jeremy said.  “I can’t kill him.”

Klaus snapped, “Do it or I’ll do it myself and find you a new vampire.  Then his death will have been for nothing besides his betrayal towards me and I don’t think that’ll sit any better with you.”

Jeremy swallowed and then stepped forward with a stake.

.

.

.

“Found it!” Damon crowed victoriously. 

“Don’t let him change your mind, princess,” Giuseppe whispered.  “You’re doing the right thing here.  Damon’s not.”

“Listen to your father, Stephanie,” Victoire Salvatore rubbed her shoulder.  “Listen to him,” She repeated.  Damon had found Stephanie necklace and ring several meters into the woods, searching with one hand to the ground and the other tugging Steph along.

“Don’t, Damon,” Steph said and began to struggle in earnest.  “I have to die.”

“No, no you really don’t,” Damon argued.  “Damn it, Stephanie.  Listen to me.”  They all wanted her to listen to them.  There was too much noise - _Monstermonstermonstermonstermonster.  You’re the monster parents tell their children about at night.  You like it.  You relish in the kill you enjoy their pain you’re sick you’re useless. Why don’t you just end it?  You deserve to die!_

Silence.

Stephanie blinked and straightened.  “Damon?”

He was wary.  “Steph?”

She tried for a smiled, but settled for a sigh of relief.  “They’ve stopped talking.”

Damon grinned and jammed her necklace back into her hands.  “Good.  Now put that damn thing back on and let’s go home.”

.

.

.

“Tyler,” Caroline greeted quietly.

“It’s just us.  Paying our respects to Chris,” Tyler said.  He motioned toward Hayley asleep on the couch.

“We didn’t have a choice, Tyler,” Caroline said softly.  “We had to help our friend.”

“By handing over another friend?” Tyler took a swig.  “That’s great, Care.  Just wonderful.  All he wanted to was to be unsired to that dick.”  He turned and tossed one of his bottles of alcohol into the wall.  Caroline flinched and Hayley woke from her drunken slumber.

“What’s the matter?” She asked sleepily and in that moment, Caroline hated her. 

“Nothing.  Just mourning the loss of one of our pack.”  Tyler turned away from Caroline.

Caroline wondered when it had stopped being Hayley’s pack, and become _their_ pack.

.

.

.

Damon did not want to deal with jockstrap that morning, really.  His girlfriend and his sister were at their house, doing girly things, and Jeremy was giving up his masculinity by being there with them doing God knew what like painting their toe nails or something or journaling or whatever.  So he’d gone to the Mystic Grill where Matt Donovan worked and got some bourbon.  Mistake.

“What do you want, kid?” He snapped and rubbed his eyes.  “I had a long night.  I’m getting a drink and then going home, snatching my girlfriend away from my sister, and going to bed.”

“I looked into the Young house fire,” Matt said softly.

“That’s still a thing?” Damon wondered.  He was too tired to deal with this stuff and his mind was scattered.

“Yes,” Matt said, annoyed.  “I need someone to tell.”

“Shoot.”

“April mentioned knowing that Professor Shane guy, which wouldn’t be creepy but he knew stuff about the Hunters.  And we live in a town where people who know stuff are not to be trusted.”

“You’re on the verge of impressing me.  Drive it home,” Damon commanded.

“I got the Sheriff to look up the Pastor’s phone records.  He made a phone call to the same number every day for the last month he was alive.  And the day that his farmhouse got blown up?  He called it like ten times,” Matt explained.

“Let me guess,” Damon sighed and fought the urge to punch someone in the face. “Shane.”

Kol Mikaelson plopped down between the boys, surprising them both.  “I knew he was up to something.  Bonnie talked to the bloke today and texted me about it.”

“Congrats.  You have a BFF,” Damon said and rolled his eyes.  “Get to the point, dick.”

“He said to bring our new Hunter to him as soon as the mark was completed,” Kol revealed and stole a sip of Damon’s bourbon.  “Now, how’s that for a mystery?”

“Well, damn.”


	7. you're gonna go far, kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But it was not your fault but mine  
> and it was your heart on the line  
> I really fucked it up this time  
> Didn't I, my dear?”

“What do you mean you’re not coming?”

“I mean that I refuse to come,” Stephanie replied easily and she flawlessly continued her exercise regime in her bedroom.  The wooden bar across the ceiling made for a good place to perform pull-ups. 

“You have to!” Caroline’s voice wailed on the other end of the phone.  Steph’s cell was resting on speaker on her desk, next to her fountain pen and open journal.  “Your attendance record for Miss Mystic Pageants is absolutely terrible,” Caroline scolded.  “I’m sure if you come now I’ll be able to compel some people into believing you were involved the entire time.”

“Caroline,” Stephanie said patiently, “I just got over the Hunter’s Curse and I don’t want to do the pageant.  I want to stay home and read and write in my journal.  I will probably get drunk.”

“But Stephanie!” Caroline wailed.  “Please!”

“I don’t even have anything to wear,” Stephanie huffed and she dropped from the ceiling to land lightly on her feet. 

“I can fix that,” Caroline said desperately.  “You have to come.  You need a date!”

“No,” Steph said flatly and she picked her phone.  “If I come, there will be no dates involved, Caroline.”

“So, you’ll come?” Caroline asked cheerily.

“I have to get a shower,” Stephanie sighed and winced when she heard Caroline’s shrill cheering.  “I’m hanging up now.”

“I’ll find a dress for you,” Caroline gushed.  “We’ll meet at Tyler’s house tonight, okay?  Be here at four!”

“Sure.  Bye, Caroline.” Stephanie shut her phone rubbed the bridge of her nose.  She did not want to deal with any people for the next several days.  The Hunter’s Curse all seemed like a terrible, extremely vivid nightmare that was impossible to forget.  It was difficult to fight the images of her parents telling her it was her fault they were dead, when she’d had the very same thoughts more than a few times during her exponentially long lifetime.

“Hey, Grumpy!”  Damon hollered as he strolled into Steph’s bedroom.  “Want to tag team with me?  I’m going to go find Shady Shane and interrogate him.”  So he was going to avoid the whole issue of her going crazy the day before and pretend it hadn’t happened.  That was fine with her.

“By ‘interrogate,’ you mean you’re going to threaten, torture, and possibly kill,” Stephanie corrected as she grabbed a towel out of her bathroom.  She wiped the back of her neck with it and leveled Damon with a suspicious look.  She tapped a foot on the wooden floor.

“Same difference.”  Damon waved her off.  “The point is, I need a partner in crime and you’re the woman for the job.  What do you say?”  He bent down a little and shadow boxed for a moment.  When Stephanie only arched a brow, he rolled his eyes and straightened up.  “Come on, I need a good cop to my bad cop.  Or we could shake it up; you make a convincing bad cop too.”

“As much fun as that sounds,” She said drolly, “I can’t.  Caroline is making me go to this pageant thing.” 

Damon’s brows furrowed.  “You?  In a pageant?” He asked incredulously. 

“You’re hilarious,” Stephanie snorted and tossed her hand towel at his face.  “So, looks like you need a new partner in crime – how about you go find Kol?”

“He’s attached to the hip with Bonnie,” Damon complained.  “And besides, Shane is going to be at the pageant, I’m ninety percent sure.  You really can’t get away from Caroline and her crazy fascist ways for five minutes?”

“Nope, sorry,” Stephanie said and then frowned.  “Why do you even need to question Shane?”

“Oh, right, you missed that part,” Damon said. “Jockstrap found some connections between him and the now deceased Pastor Young.  They were being shady together and had some midnight calls.  Now, I don’t _think_ it was lover’s tryst, so we need to explore our other options.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes.  “Just don’t kill anyone and make sure you get there early enough to escort Elena before you go and question Shane.  Have fun breaking in a new good cop.  Now get out of my room.”  Damon sent her a betrayed look and flounced off, presumably to find Kol.

Steph sighed and turned toward her bathroom; better to get ready sooner rather than later.  Someone clearing their throat made her pause.  “Damon, I thought you left to terrorize the general public.”

“Not Damon,” An accented voice said amusedly.  Stephanie heaved a heavy sigh and turned back around to find Klaus standing inside her window.

“Klaus,” She said flatly.  “What do you want?”

“To say that I’m glad you’re feeling better,” He said.  “And also that I’m glad you didn’t have to suffer nearly as long as I did with the Hunter’s Curse.  I’m happy that Damon saved you.”

Stephanie felt herself softening despite her resolve to hate Klaus or at least ignore him.  “Damon told me you were the one to provide a vampire for Jeremy to . . . kill.”

“To save you,” Klaus corrected.

“He stilled him,” Stephanie said firmly.  “But . . . thank you, I guess, for helping save my life.”

“My pleasure, love.” Klaus smiled at her.  “There’s a pageant today at the Lockwood boy’s house, you know.”

Stephanie arched her brow at the sudden turn of conversation, but went with it.  “Yes.  Caroline is making me go.”

“I suppose Jeremy will go with you?” Klaus asked idly, but Stephanie could see the tension in his shoulders.

“No,” Stephanie said quietly.  “He’s going with his new friend.  Not that it’s any business of yours.”

“Well, if you need an escort . . .” Klaus trailed off meaningfully.

“Thanks but no thanks,” Stephanie snorted.  “I’m still furious with you.”

“Well, if you can’t find anyone, you have my number.”  Klaus winked and vanished.

.

.

.

“Anna’s a contestant in the Miss Mystic Falls thing,” Matt said conversationally.  He and Jeremy were helping out for the pageant, along with Elena, Bonnie and Caroline.  “I’m her escort.” He rolled his eyes toward the sky as he lifted large box from the bed of a white pickup and put it on the ground.  “I just hope we don’t have to do that dance thing.”

“If she’s a contestant, you totally do,” Jeremy laughed.

“I heard that you’re escorting April,” Matt countered and grinned.  “She’s a contestant too.”

“But luckily for me, Elena was obsessed with the pageant when we were kids and we practiced the dance for like over half of our childhood,” Jeremy pointed out and smirked when Matt looked to be contemplating slamming his head against the truck window.

“But April,” Matt persisted.

Jeremy couldn’t help the warm smile on his face.  “She needed a date and I . . . wanted to go with her.”

Matt’s good humor suddenly drained and he took on a serious tone.  “Hey, Jere, I just want to say, I hope you’re not using April as your rebound girl,” He warned his friend.  “She’s a nice kid and her dad did just die.”

Jeremy scowled.  “I’m not heartless, Matt.  I just – I feel like I’m slowly beginning to get over Steph.” 

“Right after you killed a vampire for her?” Matt asked, looking unconvinced.

“That’s the kind of thing you do for a friend too,” Jeremy insisted.  He tried to change the subject by hopping into the bed of the truck.  “Wanna see something cool?”

“We’re not done talking about this,” Matt said.

“You’re not my sister, Matt,” Jeremy said dryly.  “Well?  Do you want to see it?”  Matt huffed, but didn’t say no, so Jeremy picked up one of the heavier boxes that they were planning on waiting to unload.  He carried the thing with ease, smirking victoriously when he set it gently down onto the grass.  “I guess being a Hunter has its perks, after all, huh?”  Besides the creepy dreams he’d had the night before.  He’d been killing vampires, but not strangers; they were his friends and family, loved ones.  Jeremy thought he must have killed Elena and Stephanie two or three times a piece that night alone.

“How?” Matt choked.

“Like I said, Hunter powers,” Jeremy told him and shrugged.  “I’ve had all this energy . . . it’s great.”

“I think you ought to talk to someone about this,” Matt said, not as sure as Jeremy would have liked him to be.  “I mean, look at Connor; the guy was crazy.  His only life goal was to kill vampires, and I don’t to be the one to tell you this, but you live with a vampire.  And her boyfriend and his sister are over at your house, like, a lot.”

“I would never hurt them,” Jeremy was quick to reassure, though his mind lingered on his dreams.  “Now, stop worrying or I’m telling Elena you’re trying to usurp her place as my big sister.”

“Ha, ha,” Matt growled well naturedly.

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.

Hayley stood stoically as the girl from her pack – now a part of her and Tyler’s new pack – screamed as she forced her body to undergo the change.  She was tied to the walls of the farmhouse by chains, and she was wild eyed and ferocious looking.  Hayley was unmoved.  “Scream,” She told the hybrid.  “Shout out your frustration, sure; and let everyone within twenty miles know that we’re here.”

Kimberly’s eyes were golden as she glared.  “Easy for you to say, wolf girl.  You’ve never been forced to turn twenty times in a row.”

“No,” Hayley allowed, “but I watched a bunch of our hybrid friends do it.”

“Why?” Kimberly cried and another bone snapped, and several others followed in succession.  “Why does it have to be like this?  Why break every bone in our bodies?”

“You’re sired because you’re grateful that you don’t have to feel the pain of turning every full moon,” Hayley explained to the chained girl.  “So you’re going to turn until it doesn’t hurt anymore and then you’ll have nothing to be grateful for.”

“How’s it going?” Tyler asked as he strode into the farmhouse.  “I have to go in a minute.”

“Why?” Hayley asked dispassionately as she turned away from Kim.  Kim snarled. 

“I have to go with Caroline to the Miss Mystic Pageant,” Tyler said and waved a hand.  “She spent the entire day there organizing everything.  She’s going to the event tonight, of course, and I’m her escort, considering I’m her boyfriend.”

“Shouldn’t you be staying here?” Hayley asked with narrowed eyes.  “Isn’t this more important?” She motioned toward Kim.

“It is important,” Tyler said firmly.  “But Caroline’s important to me too and I haven’t really been there for her recently, since all of this started.”

“Whatever,” Hayley huffed.  “I’ll stay here and watch Kim.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Kimberly growled.

“Sure you do.”

.

.

.

Jeremy had gone home after he’d helped set up, and taken a nice long nap.  He’d woken up with a knife in one hand, and a newly whittled stake in the other.

“How the hell do you wake up with a knife and not remember getting it?” Matt demanded as he straightened his tie.  Jeremy stood in front of his mirror and fixed his collar.  Matt had come over to get ready and Jere had taken that time to explain about the dreams he’d been having.  “There’s something wrong.”

“What if I’m turning into Alaric?” Jeremy demanded shortly.  “I’ve probably died too many times with the ring and I’m developing an alter ego or something!”

Matt gave him a deadpan look and pointed at the book in his lap.  He read straight from the text.  “’Newly awakened hunters may not be fully conscious of their actions.  Their subconscious pushes through until their urges become a basic instinct.’” He leveled Jeremy with an unimpressed look.  “You’re having a psychotic break, Jere.  Either you tell Elena, or I will.”

Jeremy looked down at the floor, furious.  “I’ll tell her . . . when I see her, okay?”

“Good.”  Matt clapped a hand onto his shoulder.  “Now, let’s get going before Caroline rides us about being late.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy mumbled and tried for a smile.  One look at Matt said he’d failed.

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.

“So, what color?  Blue?  Or Red?” April wanted to know as she lifted two dresses of choice up to Caroline and Elena.

“Blue!”

“Red.”

Elena and Caroline glanced at each other, side eyeing her friend.  “Really?” April frowned.  “The blue seems a little . . . safe.”  Elena, who had said red, looked at Caroline again, who was frowning at her.

“Safe is good with the judges,” Elena hurried to say quickly.

“She’s right,” Caroline agreed smugly.  “Gracie Lockwood got laughed off the stage one year after she tried some outlandish new style.  It was not pretty.”

“Oh.” Elena grinned. “I remember that.”

“Red’s got my vote,” Damon drawled as he entered, smirking.  Caroline flushed and tossed a hair clip at his head, which he dodged.

“Get out, lurker!  This is private!  And your sister is in the bathroom, changing,” Caroline snapped.  Damon held up his hands to prevent another attack and tsked.

“Calm down, crazy.  I just want to know where Shane is.”  He rolled his eyes.  Footsteps came up from behind him and then an accented voice was floating into the room.

“I told you we could have just sniffed him out,” Kol said, clearly annoyed.  Though when he saw the girls in their dresses, he perked up.  “Hello, darlings.”  He kissed April’s hand and she flushed.

“What are you doing here?” Elena asked Kol with a furrow in her brow.  She turned to Damon.  “Damon?”

“He’s my new partner in crime,” Damon admitted, and then said louder, “Because my other one abandoned me!”

“Caroline made me!” Stephanie hollered back.

“I did not!” Caroline snapped and stomped her foot.  “Get out, Kol, Damon!  Shane’s at the judges table, or at least he should be because he’s a weird creeper.  So shoo!”  She waved her hands as if to swish the two of the male vampires out of the room by pure willpower alone.

“By the way,” Kol threw back as he and Damon headed off, “my vote is for the red too.”  He winked and Caroline threw a hairbrush at the back of his skull.  “Bloody hell,” He cursed as they escaped.  His voice faded away.  “What an arm.”

“The red is really pretty,” Elena admitted shyly and Caroline threw up her arms in defeat.  Elena turned to April.  “But you should definitely wear whatever you want, okay?”

“Which do you think Jeremy will like?” April asked hesitantly and Elena and Caroline froze.  “What?”  Her eyes danced back toward the bathroom, which had gone eerily silent as well.  “Oh,” She murmured.

“Red,” Caroline whispered.  “He’ll like the red.”

“Thanks,” April replied quietly and she moved to place the blue dress back on the hanger.  Caroline and Elena exchanged glances again when the sounds in the bathroom resumed.

“So,” Caroline started in an overly exuberant voice, “where’s Bonnie?”

“With Shane,” Elena said.  “She’s talking to him about you know what.”

“Even after what Matt found out?” Caroline hissed and Elena shrugged.

“I guess she still trusts him?” Elena guessed.  “Maybe she just wants to referee the questioning session between him and Damon.”  Caroline rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

“Are you guys ready yet?” A new voice demanded and the girls turned their heads to look at Anna striding confidently into the room.  She was a good three inches taller in her tall black heels.  Her dress wasn’t what the judges usually liked, but it was all Anna: sleeveless and black, with golden pieces on the bodice part and revealed strips of her back.  The skirt part was lacy and lighter and only went down to her knees.  Her hair had undergone a transformation as well, having been cut and stylized into pretty wavy layers.  “It’s almost time,” Anna told them.  She wore her usual heavy black eyeliner and makeup.

“I’m almost ready,” April murmured and she disappeared to slip on her dress.   The bathroom door opened then and Stephanie stepped out, adjusting the heel of her shoe.  Her dress was very pretty as well; it was a soft white and flow-y, also sleeveless, and was a v-cut in the back.  A black band was around her waist.  Her hair was down and curled for the event.

Caroline squealed.  “Okay, as soon as April is ready, we’re done and set for the pageant.  I’m so excited!”  Having won the past year, she was eager for their three new contestants.  Steph shifted in her dress awkwardly.  “Wait!  We need to get you an escort!” Caroline shouted and her eyes rounded.  “I can’t believe you let me forget!  Everyone has to have an escort!”

Steph fought the urge to roll her eyes.  “How silly of me to let you forget.”  She watched as April returned to them in the beautiful prom-like dress and felt a surge of jealousy combined with remorse.  How she wished things had been different. 

“This is a disaster!” Caroline was wailing and Elena was hugging her with one arm.  The latter girl shot a glance at Stephanie that clearly said, ‘Fix this now, please.’  Stephanie sighed, for she had not thought about a single person to go with.  Then she remembered Klaus’ offer and felt the urge to stake herself for what she was about to do.

“I know somebody,” She said vaguely and Caroline perked right up. 

.

.

.

“So, we’ll tag team him,” Damon explained as he and Kol prowled toward the judges table and their target, Atticus Shane.  “I’m the bad cop.  You’re –”

“Why aren’t I the bad cop?” Kol asked plaintively.  “I’m an Original.”

“You can’t hurt a fly right now,” Damon pointed out. 

“Are you guys really arguing over this?” Bonnie asked as she strode toward them from the judges table.  Only Shane was sitting there at the moment, and he watched on interestedly though he was too far away to hear the conversation.  “Really?”  She grabbed a hold of Kol and tugged him away.  “Come help me with something.”  She gave Damon a dirty look.  “And don’t let Damon try to talk you into anything this stupid again.”

Damon’s jaw dropped.  “What?  Come on, Judgy!  I need a partner for my interrogation.”

“You’re not getting him involved in your idiotic plans,” Bonnie said huffily and physically dragged Kol away, who looked entirely too amused by the entire situation.  She called back, “And I don’t care how guilty he is, don’t kill him!  Or hurt him!”

Damon cursed and then turned back toward Shane, his original plan thwarted.  “Guess I’ll have to improvise.  Good thing that’s what I’m good at.”  He went to Shane’s chair and the professor stood and gave the vampire a hand to shake.  Damon frowned at it and ignored the offer.  “Just the man I was looking for.  Let’s have a talk.”  He gestured for the teacher to follow him, which Shane did eagerly enough, and they lost themselves in the crowd so their words couldn’t be made out by other parties.

Damon grabbed a flute of wine.

“Damon Salvatore,” Shane mused.  “Why do I have a feeling this about Hunters?”

“Actually, that’s not why I want to talk to you,” Damon told him and Shane became curious.  “I want to know why you’re here.  What’s your little lesson plan for Mystic Falls?  For my friends Bonnie and Kol?”

“You think too highly of me, Damon,” Shane said and he stopped in the grass, making Damon pause with him if he desired to continue the conversation.  “Now I’ve got to go find the other judges.”

Damon stuck out an arm.  “Hey, not pity votes for April Young, okay?  Just because her dad blew up his farmhouse with him and about a dozen other people in it mean she should get a tiara, you know what I mean?” He grinned.  “But you knew him, didn’t you?” Damon got serious.  “I heard you two had some pretty impressive phone bills because of all the calls you were giving each other.”

Shane took a step into Damon’s personal space.  “If you want to know something about me, Damon, just ask.”

“Okay.  How did you convince the pastor to kill all those people?” Damon asked wryly.

Shane looked at him incredulously.  “Did you just accuse me of mass murder in the middle of a high school pageant?” 

Damon gave him his flirty eyes.  “Um, maybe?”  They heard the piercing call of the microphone, which was followed by Caroline’s loud voice carrying over it.

“Welcome to this year’s Miss Mystic Falls Pageant!  Let me introduce our court!”

“Looks like we’re needed,” Shane motioned toward the house.  “After you?”  Damon shoved passed the professor and hurried toward the crowd in order to be there for Elena when she required his escorting services.  They were in a large crowd.

“We begin this procession with Valerie Fell, accompanied by Dylan Clark,” Caroline said clearly, grinning as the girl met her escort.  Damon caught Elena’s gaze next to Stephanie and the other ladies of the court, and winked at her.  She gave him a significant look.

“Next, we have April Young accompanied by Jeremy Gilbert,” Caroline said and the human girl stepped forward in her pretty red dress and hooked her arm with Jeremy at the bottom of the stone staircase.  Jeremy looked happy to see her, and April was beaming as Jeremy led her off to the dance floor just a few feet away.

“Now, we have Anna Jow, accompanied by Mathew Donovan!”  Anna, Damon thought, looked hot for a forever fifteen-sixteen year old girl.  She smirked as she took Jockstrap’s arm, who just looked uncomfortable.  But Anna was clearly having a wonderful time and enjoying Matt’s embarrassment as she began to lead him in the dance.

“Stephanie Salvatore accompanied by . . .” Damon could almost hear the frustration in the blonde’s voice and wondered who the hell had rankled her so, “Klaus Mikaelson?”  Damon glared fiercely as the hybrid stepped up and extended a polite arm.  Stephanie was clearly still affected by her delusions from the day before, Damon thought.  She didn’t look happy, but she wasn’t pulling away from Klaus either; she looked more long suffering than anything as she excepted Klaus’ arm.

“Next, Elena Gilbert, accompanied by Damon Salvatore,” Caroline called with a strained voice, and Damon stepped forward to Elena, who was beautiful as always.  “Amber Wolverheart accompanied by Jarod Johnson,” Caroline continued and her list continued.

“What’s Klaus doing with Stephanie?” Damon hissed as they began their no-touching dance. 

Elena shrugged helplessly.  “She didn’t have an escort and apparently Klaus dropped by earlier to make sure she was okay after the Curse.  He made an offer.”

“And she just took him up on it?” Damon asked lowly.

“We were desperate,” Elena defended.  “And he did kind of save her life, and as much as I hate the guy, he’s not going to hurt her in the open here, or swoop her away.  So stop worrying.”

“Damn it,” Damon groaned.  His eyes flicked over and rested onto Shane again.  “I’m going to talk to him again as soon as this dance is over.”

“Did you find anything out yet?” Elena asked, clearly relieved at the topic change.

“Not really,” Damon said.  “And Kol was no help because Bonnie took him.” He rolled his eyes dramatically.  “She said she ‘didn’t want him involved in my stupid plans.’  Can you believe that?”

Elena giggled and their dance came to a close.  “Better go get Shane, then,” She said and pushed him forward.  “Find out what stuff he’s getting into.  I’m going to talk to Jeremy.”  She turned away and went to speak to her brother, and Damon darted over to Shane, who was walking into the Lockwood house.  He followed the professor at a distance until they reached one of the parlors.

“Oh, it’s you again,” Shane said as their eyes met.  He laughed.  “I must be the least intimidating mass murderer ever if you keep seeking me out.”

“Well, you never answered my question,” Damon pressed.  Shane moved around him and went toward the door.  Damon flashed in front of him using vampire speed.

“Real subtle,” Shane observed.

“Like you didn’t already know,” Damon said casually.  “Tell me why you killed the Council and I won’t kill you.”

“I’m a little surprised you’re not curious about the Hunters, actually,” Shane said, “considering your girlfriend was asking all about them the other day.”

Damon cocked his head.  “Okay, we’ll talk about them first.  Then you’ll tell me your reasons for mass murder.”

“Just so you know,” Shane said quietly, “even if you and your girl finish the tattoo with your Potential, and complete the map, the thing you’re searching for will be sealed in a tomb that only a certain kind of witch will be able to open.”  Bonnie, Damon thought suddenly.  Maybe this was the interest Shane had in Bonnie.  But why would Shane of all people want the Cure?  If, Damon remediated, it even existed.  “Come on, Damon.”

Damon snatched Shane’s arm and pressed down.  “I love pressure points.  What kind of witch?”

“Come on, you’re a smart boy, figure it out,” Shane gasped.

“Bennett’s,” Damon hazarded with a guess, “or one who wields Expression?”  Shane’s eyes widened and Damon peered at him.  “Or both?”  The mass murder, Damon realized.  How many people had been killed? 

“I have a scholarship to award, got to get to that,” Shane said anxiously.

“Does Expression have anything to do with this?” Damon demanded.

“Absolutely none,” Shane shook his head.  “It’s just the Bennett line.  You know that they’re special, Damon.  Now, I really need to go.”  Damon thoughtfully released the professor and watched him scurry away and contemplated.  His brain tried to make all the connections as he walked back to look for Elena.

.

.

.

“There’s a Cure, you know,” Klaus whispered into Stephanie’s ear.

“Sh, Caroline’s talking,” Stephanie replied swiftly.

“She’s always talking,” Klaus said wryly.  “Didn’t you hear me?  There’s a Cure for vampirism.  It’s connected to the Hunters-”

“I know,” Stephanie said flatly, her attention riveted on Caroline announcing the next Miss Mystic winner.  She didn’t particularly care, but she didn’t want to have this conversation with Klaus.

“What do you mean?” Klaus’ voice was dangerous.

“Kol,” Steph said simply, “told Bonnie, who told Damon and Elena, who told the rest of us.”  She side-eyed Klaus.  She’d been caught up the previous evening by courtesy of Elena about the so called magically Cure and Silas and all of that; she wasn’t sure what to believe, but Klaus sure thought it was real.  Steph also knew from them that he wanted it to turn Elena human again to rebuild his hybrid army.  Which they weren’t going to allow.

“Bloody hell,” Klaus cursed.  “That buffoon can’t keep secrets.  He’s lucky I don’t dagger him right now.”

“Then you’d be alone as well as miserable,” Stephanie deadpanned.  “He’s your family.”  Klaus muttered more obscenities under his breath as Caroline announced that Anna was the winner.  Steph saw Elena slip away after a surprisingly intense looking Jeremy and wondered what was going on.

“Since you know about the Cure,” Klaus said, annoyed with Kol, “you must know what I want with it.”

“You can’t turn Elena human,” Stephanie met his eyes.  “We won’t let you turn her into a human blood bag again for your every whim.”

Klaus glowered.  “Listen, love-”

“Did you ever think about taking it for yourself?” Stephanie suddenly wanted to know.  “Did you ever want to be human again in all of your vast years of life?”

Klaus frowned at her, clearly very unsure about the direction of their conversation that he was intent on controlling.  “Why?”

“Curiosity, boredom . . .” Stephanie trailed off.  “I want to know.”

Klaus gazed at her penetratingly.  Finally, he said, “Once, and only once.”

“When?” Stephanie asked and wondered why she was doing this to herself.  Maybe because Jeremy had come with another girl and was clearly moving on.  Maybe because of her near death experience that both Jeremy and Klaus had had a hand in saving her from. 

“I was in the Andes at the time,” Klaus began to explain quietly, “and – you must promise not to laugh – I saw a hummingbird.”

“A hummingbird?” Stephanie asked curiously.

“Don’t laugh,” Klaus warned her again, “or I might get testy.  Yes, it was a hummingbird.  And it flew up to my face and just . . . stared.  It had this tiny heart that was pattering a million miles an hour in his puffed out chest . . . and I thought, what a thing.  You know, to be working that hard to just stay alive . . . constantly on the verge of death . . . and how satisfying every day must be that it survived.  And that was the only time I ever thought about human.”

Stephanie tilted her head and felt a little of the frost on her heart melt.  Then she heard a scream and her head jerked up.  “Elena,” She murmured.  She looked back at Klaus.  “I have to go,” She said quickly and then restrained herself from using vampire speed to get to Elena in the Lockwood house.

She found her and Jeremy in one of the office rooms in a compromising position; Jeremy had a stake to Elena’s heart, and her head in a headlock.

“Jeremy!” Stephanie shouted and the Gilberts looked up.  “What are you doing?” She asked sharply.

“Connor was right,” Jeremy said almost robotically and it chilled Stephanie to the bone to see that predatory look aimed at her.  “All I can think about is killing vampires.”

“You’re nothing like Connor,” Elena choked out.

“I want to believe that,” Jeremy said softly, “and I don’t really want to hurt either of you, but there’s something in me that wants to drive this stake into both of your hearts.”

“Why would you say that?” Stephanie asked quietly.  “Please, let’s at least talk first, okay?  Let’s think about this.”

“You’re vampires.”

“We’re also your family.  We would never do anything to hurt you,” Elena coughed.

“That’s a lie,” Jeremy suddenly snapped.  He pointed at Steph.  “She tried to kill me!  And you will too, Elena.  It’s in your nature!”  Elena shoved Jeremy away from her and he fell to the ground in a heap, unmoving.

“Oh God,” Elena moaned and she and Stephanie hurried to Jeremy’s side.  “Jere, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.”  He sprang forward and jammed the stake into Elena’s shoulder, making her shout out and fall back.  Steph heard running footsteps and suddenly Matt was there, talking Jeremy down while Steph attended to Elena.

“Jeremy!  This is your sister and your friend!  It’s just that stupid mark on your arm!” Matt shouted.

“Shut up, Matt!” Jeremy snapped back.

“Listen to me!” Matt took another step into the door.  “I’m human.  And I demand that you leave her alone.  Do not hurt her.”  Stephanie took advantage of Jeremy’s distraction and pushed Elena behind her and Jeremy towards Matt.

“Get him out of here,” She commanded, and Matt nodded and complied.  Steph turned back to Elena and held the girl pull out the shards of wood in her body.

“What are we going to do?” Elena asked softly, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.  Stephanie hugged her friend to her chest and felt tears of frustration rush to her own eyes.

“I don’t know.  But we’ll figure it out.  We always do.”  Together, they rounded up the remaining friends – which included Damon, Bonnie, Kol, Tyler and Caroline, as Anna had disappeared with Jeremy and Matt – that were still there and informed them of the evening’s events.  With a quick call to Matt, it was settled that Matt and Anna – who was living with Matt – move into the Gilbert home, so that Jeremy wouldn’t have to go anywhere.  Elena would be permanently moving to the Salvatore Boarding House to keep temptation away from Jeremy.  This meant that Jeremy had an entirely human support system at the house for him.

“If I hadn’t killed Connor, none of this would be happening,” Stephanie muttered.  She took a swig of some bourbon and passed the bottle.

“Nah.  Someone would have killed him eventually,” Damon said nonchalantly, “and I admit it probably would have been me.  So either way, Jeremy would have had to activate his Hunter powers to save somebody.”  They, along with Elena, had settled onto the couch in front of the fire in their living room after Elena had brought all of her things over.

“We could have looked for another Hunter,” Stephanie persisted.

“Somehow,” Elena said from her place snuggled into Damon’s side, “I have a feeling that that would have been more difficult than you think.”  They all stared into the crackling fire.  “Did you find out anything from Shane?” Elena asked.

Steph turned to look at her brother, who shrugged.  “Shady Shane’s definitely up to something.  He said that a certain kind of witch as to unseal the tomb where Silas and the Cure are.” He rolled his eyes.  “Neither of which I’m entirely convinced is real yet.  But guess what kind of witch he needs?”

“A Bennett,” Stephanie said.

“Yup.  But since he knows about the Expression, I’m wondering if maybe he needs that, or both; a Bennett witch who wields Expression,” Damon explained thoughtfully.  “I thought we could ask Kol, resident expert in Expression and everything Silas.”

“You two were all buddy-buddy today,” Elena teased.

“I needed a partner in crime,” Damon said loftily, “since Steph abandoned me.”

“For the love of – I’m going to bed,” Stephanie announced and just to spite Damon, took the bourbon with her.  “Goodnight.”

“Hey!” Damon called, upset about her alcohol theft.  “Bring that back!”

“You have at least two more decanters of the stuff,” Stephanie replied and disappeared up to her bedroom.  She made her way over to her desk and settled into write in her journal, but found something taped to the cover of it.

“What’s this?” She murmured and ran her fingers over the sketch.  It was a hummingbird.  “Oh, Klaus,” She muttered.  She folded up the drawing and put it in the drawer of her desk.  “What am I supposed to do about you?”

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Hayley stepped into the darkened office that was lit by nothing besides a desk lamp.  The figure in the chair behind it looked up when she entered.  “We got another one,” She said with a slow grin.

“Good,” Professor Shane said and nodded to her.  “Then we’re almost ready.”  He pulled something out of his coat pocket and Hayley nervously wrung her fingers.

“Hey,” She said, “I want to leave Tyler out of this, okay?  When it all goes down, I want him away from it.”

Shane looked up.  “We’ll talk when you’ve broken the last one.” 

Hayley pursed her lips, but did not argue.

 

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tbc.

 Link to Anna’s dress: <http://24.media.tumblr.com/b132bbe917a92867bdf3172cce95eb66/tumblr_mnkmg76zw91r4znq2o1_500.jpg>

 

Link to Stephanie’s dress, worn by the actress (Jenna Coleman) who I have pictured in my head as her and is the girl in the cover art: <http://images6.fanpop.com/image/polls/1264000/1264721_1378621501657_full.png>


	8. run, boy, run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But look how they treat us, make us believers  
> We fight their battles, then they deceive us  
> Try to control us, they couldn't hold us  
> 'Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers”

“Please, no more.  I _can’t_!”

Tyler bent downwards and did not allow a single of sympathy to show on his face even though he knew the pain Adrian was going through intimately.  Hands on his knees, he told the writhing hybrid, “ _Yes_ , you _can_.”  Kimberly had broken her sire bond to Klaus and they’d moved on to the next one.  She was there with them – Tyler, Hayley and Adrian – in the farmhouse they were using for their pack.  “Block out the pain,” Tyler urged.

“I can’t,” Adrian wept.  Behind Tyler, Kimberly had had enough; she roughly shouldered passed him and Hayley, stooping down to her knees and place gentle hands on Adrian’s back and shoulders.  She swept her fingers through his sweat soaked black hair and felt Adrian shudder.

“That’s enough,” Kim said firmly and glared at the others.  “This is torture.”

“Kim, stop!  He needs to finish.”  Hayley folded her arms across her chest and cocked her hip. 

Kim’s upper lip curled into a snarl.  “Not today, he doesn’t.”

Hayley was furious and her eyes blazed as she took a step towards the two hybrids.  The derision she felt for the hybrid was plain.  “ _Yes_ , today.  Nate, Dean and Chris are all dead, which makes Adrian Klaus’ right hand man!  We can’t let Adrian anywhere near Klaus until his sire bond is broken!”  Kim ignored her and undid the locks on Adrian’s chains and helped him up, letting the other hybrid lean onto her shoulder for balance.

Tyler took an aggressive stance toward them to back Hayley up and stared Kim dead in the eyes.  “Hayley’s right.  The bond isn’t broken until _he_ ,” He nodded toward Adrian, “doesn’t feel the pain of the transformation anymore.  If we want to get back at Klaus for everything he’s done for us, then Adrian has to keep turning.”

Kim’s nostrils flared.  “He doesn’t _have_ to do anything!  Isn’t that the point of breaking the sire bond?  Having free will?”  Tyler shot Hayley a perplexed glance.  “Come on, Adrian,” Kim said in a softer voice, and she helped him walk out of the farmhouse with their heads held high.

Tyler and Hayley were left alone and frustrated.  “Now what?” Tyler wondered aloud.

“Now, I have somewhere to be,” Hayley muttered.  She turned to Tyler.  “You should probably go to school, considering Adrian’s blown us off and you’re already behind.”  She crossed her arms again and asked a little contemptuously, “And doesn’t Caroline need you?”

Tyler furrowed his brows.  “Hayley, what –” She brushed passed him, eager to get out of his presence and talk to Professor Shane about their new issue that had just arisen.  She stormed away from Tyler and the farmhouse and slipped into her car to make the journey to Whitmore College. 

It wasn’t as long as it usually was, considering it was a weekday and after morning rush hour; she thought she made good time.  Hayley wandered through the halls to Shane’s office and found the door locked.  “Well, that won’t do,” She muttered and pulled a bobby pin out of her small purse.  She stuff it into the lock, jiggled it around for a while, and eventually it clicked.  “Better get some new locks, Professor,” Hayley drawled.  She shut the door quietly behind her and began her search.

She heard the door open only moments later and Hayley’s started.  “Trespassing, breaking and entering in all in before noon?” Shane teased as he shed his messenger bag and Hayley straightened up.

“We’re having trouble breaking Adrian,” Hayley muttered.

Shane shrugged.  “Don’t worry about it; you already got the twelve hybrids I need.  It’s okay.”  He and Hayley switched places as he walked around his desk so he could straighten up the strewn papers and sit down.

Hayley looked after him.  “We have eleven,” She corrected coolly.  “I told you, Tyler Lockwood is not a part of the deal.”  She placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin rebelliously.

Shane wasn’t amused and he leaned forward on his desk by putting his weight onto his knuckles.  “Well, now there are eleven hybrids.  You deliver me twelve without loyalties to Klaus or your friend Tyler becomes part of the bargain.”

“You haven’t held up your part of the deal yet,” Hayley said lowly and looked at the teacher with narrowed eyes.  Shane stood straight and chuckled to himself as he reached into his front jacket pocket.  He pulled out a flash drive and Hayley focused her entire attention onto that small piece of hardware.

“This has the information you need about your biological parents,” Shane explained as he showed it to her.  “It’s encoded, so don’t bother trying to steal it.”  He slipped it back into his jacket.  “Just bring me twelve unsired hybrids and it’s yours.  I promise.”

Hayley glared, but she agreed.  Back to Mystic Falls it was.

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“That looks like a giant snowflake.”

Klaus didn’t let his gaze waver from his painting, and continued on with his careful, precise strokes.  However, despite his attention being riveted to his art, the corners of his lips turned up.  “I prefer to call it an expression of post-modernism.  It will be my donation to the Winter Wonderland charity event.”  Finally, he set down his paintbrush and turned to focus on Stephanie, who was leaning up against his door hinge to his art room in skinny jeans, black tee, and a leather jacket.  He opened his mouth to compliment her maybe, but his ears picked up a noise behind her.

One of Klaus’ hybrids stepped around her, giving Steph a wide birth, and sidled up to Klaus.  “You called for me?  You said it was urgent.”  His voice betrayed his complete apathy towards caring what Klaus wanted.  Klaus tilted his head. 

“It is of the utter most importance,” Klaus agreed and waved a hand at his large snowflake.  “Take this to the Mystic Grill immediately.”

The hybrid was completely unimpressed.  “You want me to be a delivery guy?”  Klaus watched as Stephanie hid a smirk with a side of her hand.

While that was amusing, Klaus was uninterested in his hybrid’s attitude; he walked up to him and stepped directly into his face.  “What I want is for you to do whatever I say what your blatantly disrespectful attitude.”  The hybrid’s face contorted, but he refrained himself from saying anything, and merely picked up the painting and headed out.  “Oh!” Klaus called.  “Do be careful; the paint is still wet.”  They heard the hybrid mutter something under his breath too low to be picked up, and then he was gone.

Stephanie arched her brows and watched the hybrid leave.  “Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, you know.  I know you were alive for that,” She said, her tone bone dry.

Airily, Klaus replied, “What is the point of my hybrids being sired to me if I can’t maximize on the benefits of free labor?”

“This conversation feels really familiar to me,” Stephanie remarked as she took a step into the room, boots clicking on the wooden floor.  “I seem to remember you telling me a summer ago that –”

Klaus cut her off before she could make him a fool out of his double standards.  “What are you doing here, love?”  He grinned at her and added, “Not that isn’t a lovely surprise, but . . .”

Stephanie visibly let the issue go, which pleased Klaus.  What she said next did not.  “I want to know why you’re trying so hard.”

“And what, exactly, am I trying to do?” Klaus asked sharply.  He furrowed his brows.

“I don’t know,” Steph admitted.  “Make me like you?  You’ve saved my life; given me drawings . . . and yesterday we shared an intimate movement where you told me something good about your past.”

“I love you,” Klaus said with a mild expression.  He spread his arms wide as if to somehow encompass the feeling, but he knew there was no way to physically quantify the love he felt.  “I love you, Stephanie.  And I’m trying to atone for my less than honorable actions towards you in our history, one day at a time.”

Stephanie licked her lips.  “Listen, Klaus.  What you did to me was terrible and I don’t know if I can forgive you for that because you give me a couple of drawings a week.”

“But like you said, I’ve done other things . . .” Klaus looked genuinely confused and Stephanie had to fight off incredulous laughter at the absurdity of the conversation she was having with him.

“Even as we talk right now,” Stephanie said flatly, “you’re still plotting to turn Elena back into a human and then into a blood bag to make hybrids with.  I can’t love someone who plans to do something like that to one of my best friends.”  She turned back to the door.

“So that’s all you’ve come to say?” Klaus demanded as he stalked after her.  He resisted the urge to grab her arm, having learnt that that would only antagonize her more – and that was the last thing he wanted at the moment.  “To tell me that you’ll never love me?  I won’t give up.”

Stephanie paused and addressed Klaus.  “I never said I’ll never love you again,” She explained tiredly, “Just that I can’t love someone who is actively trying to ruin my family’s lives every time something doesn’t go to plan.”  She left him in his art room alone, and in silence.

“What the bloody hell do I do now?” Klaus’ nostrils flared and his hands itched to grab and crush something.  He slammed his fist in the wall, making a hole and the lights flickered.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Kol asked as he strolled lazily into the room.

“Can’t I get some peace in here?” Klaus asked him sharply.  “Aren’t you practically living with that Bennett witch now?”

“No, because you’re a git,” Kol said easily and ducked as a paper weight flew towards his head.  “And as for the other thing, it’s none of your business.  Now, talking about your issues, if you want to win Stephanie back, the path you need to take is obvious.”

“Sorry, Kol, but excuse me if I don’t take relationship advice from someone who’s never loved someone for more than five minutes,” Klaus fired at his younger brother, but Kol didn’t take offense.  He only rolled his eyes.

“You just need to stop looking for the Cure to turn Elena back,” Kol continued blithely, “and let me and Bonnie find it so we can destroy Silas instead.”

“But I need more hybrids!” Klaus roared.  “And Silas is a mythical character created to scare morons like you!”

“Do you _really_ need more hybrids?” Kol asked critically, stubbornly resisting Klaus’ efforts to wrestle him into a fight.  “You have everything.  Elijah, Finn, Rebekah and I are alive and here for you if you need it.  Well, besides Finn, but he’s never been there for anyone but Mother,” Kol said and waved a hand dismissively.  “Father’s dead, so no one is ever coming after you again. Well, that you know of.  But you can handle anyone else, I’m sure.  And honestly, that’s the only thing holding you back from your one true love.”  He rolled his eyes there to let Klaus know how he felt about _that_ concept.  “She just said that she never said that she’d never love you again.  That’s like, almost a marriage proposal to vampires, bloody hell.  You have eternity to win her back.  Just leave the hybrids out of the plan.  _You don’t need them.”_

Klaus stared at Kol dumbfounded as the latter began to whistle.  “I’m off now, though, so if you want any more uplifting chats, I suggest therapy.”  Kol waved and flashed away.

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When Hayley returned to Mystic Falls, it was getting dark and she talked Tyler into meeting her at the Grill to discuss the hybrids.  However, it turned out that Adrian and Kim happened to be there as well.

“I think Kim’s right,” Tyler started their conversation and it made Hayley want to face palm.  “The point of us breaking the sire bond is so that they’re free; they don’t have to listen to me.”  His face was twisted into something earnest.

Hayley fought the urge to him over the head with something.  “Yes they do, Ty.  You can make them; hybrids are werewolves first and wolves run in packs.  Every pack needs an alpha or they’ll challenge each other for dominance.  Kim is challenging your place as alpha.  You need to put her in her place.  Now.”  She stared at him expectantly.

“Like now, now?” He asked her.

“Yes,” Hayley told him sharply.

Tyler gave her one last lingering look, and then stood from his chair and stalked across the room over to the pool table, where Kim and Adrian were playing a game together.  She allowed herself a small smirk before getting up to follow.  Adrian lined up the ball, but Tyler put a hand over it.  He lifted it up and played with it in his hands.  “Big day tomorrow,” Tyler said baldly.  “You should get some rest.”

Kim put down her stick and circumvented the table.  She stood in front of Tyler and stared him in the eye.  “Who do you think you are?”

Tyler met her gaze without flinching.  “The guy telling you to call it a night.”  Kim took his dare and moved to punch him in the kidneys, but he grappled with her for control, and twisted her arm behind her back.  “This could get really ugly right now, but I’m not going to let it,” He hissed into her ear.  “Challenge me again and this conversation will be ending _very_ differently.”

Kim’s eyes were wide.  “Fine.  Whatever you say.”

“Finish your drinks and then get Adrian back to the farmhouse.”  He shoved her back, and Tyler and Hayley stormed angrily away.  Kim glared at their backs and grabbed Adrian’s elbow and started to tug him along.

“Where are we going?” Adrian asked quietly.

“To pick a fight,” Kim growled.  “Tyler’s in love with that blonde vampire, right?  Well, we’ll show him just how serious we are about our freedom.”  They knew the girl’s scent because it was usually all over Tyler whenever he went to the farmhouse to check up on whatever hybrid was trying to break the bond.  So it was easy for them to pick it out of the hundreds of scents in the Grill – a frequent place of visitation of the vampire’s – and follow it outside and to the edge of town.

She was at the Salvatore Boarding House, though Kim and Adrian didn’t feel like it would be much of a challenge to wrestle the girl away, considering they were hybrids and evidently, no human lived at the house so invitations weren’t an issue.  Kim and Adrian walked up silently together and listened for any signs of movement.

There were only a couple of people inside; one was their blonde, the other another female vampire.  They could scent that two other vampires lived there, but weren’t home, which made it even easier on Kim and Adrian.  The hybrids stormed into the house, fine with the vampires knowing they were coming; maybe they’d even fear their arrival.  They extended their senses and found the two vampires in the living room, where the girls had abruptly stopped whatever they’d been doing beforehand.

“Nobody moves and no one gets hurt,” Kim announced loudly as she Adrian strolled into the living room.  The two vampires there weren’t very tall and didn’t look particularly strong, but appearances were always deceiving in the supernatural world.  “We just want her.”  She pointed at the blonde.  “Caroline.”

The shorter of the two stepped protectively in front of what was clearly her friend, and said, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.  Tell me what the problem is, and maybe we can work this out rationally.”

“Steph, they’re two of the hybrids Tyler’s been working with,” Caroline whispered.  “They’re unsired.”

“That’s right,” Kim agreed, even though Adrian wasn’t, not quite yet.  “And we need you to come with us so Tyler will cooperate with me.”

“Like I said,” Stephanie repeated firmly, “that’s not going to happen.  Why don’t we call Tyler so you can talk about whatever issues you’re having with him?”

“Sorry, but that’s not part of the plan,” Kim growled and flashed behind Caroline, putting her fangs to the girl’s neck.  “Let us go or I’ll bite,” She warned.  Adrian had moved to trap Steph into his hold, but the little vampire wasn’t afraid.

She lifted her chin in defiance.  “Try it and I’ll call Klaus over here and he’ll rip out your hearts.”

“What are you to Klaus?” Kim demanded.

“He’s kind of seriously obsessed with her,” Caroline shared.  “Like, if you harm a single hair on her head, he’ll rip you limb from limb, burn your body parts, and then dance on the ashes.”

“Then we’ll take you with us,” Kim decided with a firm nod.  “Get back at Tyler and Klaus at the same time.  What do they call that?  Two birds with one stone?”

“I’m really tired of being kidnapped,” Stephanie snapped and she elbowed Adrian in the crotch, making him double over in pain.

“And we’re really tired of having to rescue you and your friends,” A masculine voice drawled and Kim’s head jerked to see two more vampires arrive on the scene.  Both dark headed and angry looking.  “So if you don’t mind, step away from Barbie and Crazy, okay?”

“I’m crazy now?” Steph demanded.

“Not the time,” Damon shot back.

Kim sent Adrian a look and he nodded.  She grabbed hold of Caroline and shot out of the boarding house with Adrian hot on her tail, and headed towards the farmhouse.  They made it record time with their enhanced hybrid speed, and didn’t waste a moment; they immediately found the chains that they’d used to contain them during their repetitive changes, and tied up the furious blonde vampire.

“Why are you doing this?” Caroline demanded.  “What have I done to you?”

“It’s not what you did,” Adrian explained.

“But we have to show Tyler who’s boss around here,” Kim finished.  “And that includes showing him that we can hurt you.”  As if illustrating her point, she stepped forward and grabbed Caroline’s wrist and snapped it, making the girl scream.

“They’ll hear her,” Adrian said warily.

“Good.  We want Tyler to hear,” Kim said.  “Give me a piece of that scrap wood over there, Adrian.”  He looked between the girls and then complied, handing the splintered stilt to Kim.  The hybrid girl used her strength to break it down and shoved one of the bits into Caroline’s intestines.

“Stop!” Caroline sobbed, “Please!”  Blood welled up from her abdominal wound and the flesh around her wrist swelled and darkened in color as it tried to heal awkwardly.  “Please stop.”

“I’m going to stop until Tyler gets here,” Kim promised and ripped out her makeshift stake and prepared to do it again.

“Leave her alone!”

“Right on time,” Kim said as Tyler burst into the farmhouse with a few vampires on his heels.  Hayley was a little behind them, but she made sure she was there.  Behind them, the other hybrids flooded in, and with a nod from Kim, grabbed the vampires, Tyler and Hayley so that they were restrained.

“Leave Caroline alone,” Stephanie warned darkly.

“You’re the one she said Klaus cares for, right?” Kim asked, and when no one answered, grinned.  She gave the hybrid holding her a significant look, and he shoved Stephanie to her knees in front of him. 

“Hey, Klaus won’t like this,” Adrian said warily, eyes jumping from Stephanie to Caroline.  “He probably won’t care about Tyler’s girl, but his?”

“You’re right,” Kim acknowledged.  “He won’t like this it at all.  Do you think he’ll like it when I kill her?” She looked at Tyler.  “Will _you_ like it if I do _this_?”  She picked up her makeshift stake and aimed it at Caroline’s heart.

“Stop!” The vampires screamed. 

“You made your point, bitch, let Caroline go,” Damon snapped.  “You have the power.  Who the hell cares?”  The hybrid holding him growled in Damon’s ear and shook the vampire roughly.

“I do,” Tyler snarled.

“Is power worth more than Care’s life?” Stephanie demanded and the hybrid holding her stomped on her leg, making her grunt.  When Kim prepared to stake Caroline, Tyler bared his teeth and roared angrily, bucking off the other hybrid’s hold on him and tackled Kim into the dirt floor of the farmhouse. 

He jammed his hand into her chest cavity and the others froze with baited breath.  “Let my friends go, or else I’ll kill her.  I’ll rip her heart out,” Tyler barked and immediately, the vampires were released from their hybrid captors.  Elena and Stephanie raced to Caroline’s side and helped her out of her bindings.  Damon looked very put out with being kept hostage.  “Kim put you all at risk today.  And I’m not going to hurt her, because I’m not Klaus; I don’t kill and torture my own friends to get what I want.  We all broke the sire bond.  But if you want to be free, we all have to stick together.”  Tyler gave Kim a significant look.  “Now, you’re either with me or against me.  Submit.  Submit or you die.”

“I’m sorry,” Kim choked.

And Tyler released her and stood.  Slowly, each and every hybrid ducked to the ground in submission.  Damon opened his mouth to make a smart comment, but Elena flashed to his side and clamped a hand to his mouth to keep him from getting the vampires killed because he had no filter.

“Now,” Tyler cleared his throat.  “Adrian is going to finish breaking his sire bond.  And I’m taking Caroline home.  Everyone else clear out.  Now.”  Like magic, the hybrids did as they were bid, and they all disappeared except for Kim and Adrian.  Caroline, free from the chains, willingly went into Tyler’s arms and hugged him fiercely.  After a curt command from Tyler, Kim chained up Adrian and then left with the other hybrids.  “Hayley, do you have this?” He asked.

“It’ll be under control,” The werewolf promised swiftly.  “Adrian will be a free man in no time.”

“Good.”

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“God, we never get to have a peaceful moment, do we?” Damon groaned.  “We recover from the farce of a pageant yesterday, get you tucked in,” He nodded towards Elena, “here at the house, and then Caroline gets kidnapped by raging, psychotic hybrids.  I need a drink.”  He pulled out the decanter of bourbon and poured himself a tall glass. 

“Make that two,” Stephanie muttered and held up a hand from her place next to Elena. 

“Can do,” Damon called.

“Good thing Bonnie was able to track them so quickly,” Elena breathed and she covered her face with her hands.  “I don’t know what we would have done if they’d killed Care.  I can’t even imagine the thought of it.”

Stephanie leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder and they sat together on the couch like that until Damon returned and squeezed his way in between the two girls.  He gave Steph her drink and then put an arm around Elena.  “Can we just go to bed?” He wondered. 

“I have a bad feeling that today isn’t over yet,” Stephanie predicted.

“Sh!” Damon shoved a finger to her lips and glared.  “Do not jinx us, Stephanie Grumpy-pants Salvatore.  Or I will stake you myself.”

Elena groaned.  “And tomorrow is the Winter Wonderland charity event party.”  She gave Damon a sad look.  “We have to go.”  In response, Damon threw back his drink and took a deep swallow.

“Maybe we could skip,” Stephanie mused as Damon put the tumbler onto a coaster and threw his other arm around his sister.  “Are we necessary?”

“Caroline’s probably signed us up to help,” Elena said and the mildly playful atmosphere sobered.  “And you know that she’ll go tomorrow anyway, just to get all of this stuff out of her head.  She’ll need us there.”

“What about Jeremy?” Stephanie didn’t want to kill the mood further, but the question bared asking.  Elena and Damon went silent.  “We can’t do this,” She waved a hand at the three of them, “forever.  Jeremy can’t live with Matt forever.  If we – you,” Stephanie pointed at Elena, “want to ever talk to Jeremy in person again, we need to figure something out to help him.”

“Klaus wants the Cure though,” Elena said tiredly and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Then get away for a while,” Stephanie told them.  “Take Jeremy and go to your parents’ cabin.  Maybe being alone with a couple of vampires will help.  You could work on his control.”

“And Klaus?” Damon sounded intrigued with her plan.

“I’ll keep an eye on Klaus,” Stephanie promised and tried not to think back on her earlier meeting with him.  “And I’ll go to the Christmas charity event with Caroline tomorrow to watch her too.  I can handle everything here.  You guys go take care of Jeremy.”

“I think we should think about it tonight,” Elena decided and stood, tugging on Damon’s wrist.  “Let’s sleep on it.”  Damon dragged himself up, said goodnight to Steph, and swept Elena off her feet.  They disappeared up the stairs, presumably to talk and then sleep.

“Better get to bed then,” Stephanie murmured to herself.  She stood and flashed to her own room, careful to keep quiet and ignore the whispers in Damon and Elena’s bedroom.  She threw herself face first onto her own bed and sighed sleepily.

“I’ve thought about you said earlier,” Klaus’ voice came from the chair behind her desk, and it startled Stephanie so badly, she jumped.

“Klaus!” She hissed.  “What are you doing in my bedroom?”

Klaus stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of her bed.  He clasped his hands behind his back primly and looked like he was gearing up for something important.  Stephanie warily stood as he began to make his case.  “I thought about you said,” He repeated, “and Kol came to me and said some ridiculous things that actually made a little sense.  Yes, I was surprised as well.”

Stephanie furrowed her brows, but said nothing.

Klaus continued.  “As a result, I just wanted to say that I am not going to be looking for the Cure to bestow it upon Elena anymore.  So you needn’t worry about Elena’s safety from me.”  His hands were transferred to his front and his crossed them there.  “That’s all.”  And then he disappeared.

Stephanie fell back into bed wished that their lives in Mystic Falls weren’t nearly so complicated.

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.

“Did you ever hear of a text message, or just . . . give a guy a head’s up?” Shane asked and exasperation was the only thing Hayley could read from his body language.  He checked his watch.  “And you’re here again before noon.  Is there a problem?”

Hayley swung her legs from her perch on Shane’s desk.  “Adrian’s finished breaking his sire bond, you have your twelve hybrids, now . . .” She jumped off the desk.  “Where are my parents?”

Shane regarded her and sighed.  “They’re dead.”

Hayley felt like someone had punched her in the gut.  “You lied to me?” She asked quietly.

“No, I didn’t lie to you,” Shane replied as he shook his head.  He retrieved something from his pocket and showed it to her: the flash drive.  “I said I’d tell you where to find them.  In that,” he raised the drive up, “is everything you wanted to know about them, including where they’re buried.”

Hayley’s face screwed up into a scowl.  “You just picked a fight with a werewolf, you know that right?” She snapped.

Shane held up his hands.  “Easy there, killer.  I’m not declaring war here.”  He slowly approached the volatile werewolf.  “Just because they’re gone doesn’t mean that you can’t see them again.”

She froze.  “What?” Hayley asked hesitantly, barely daring to hope.

Shane seemed to come alive at the question.  “This is far from over, Hayley.  We are the beginning.”

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.

“I’m sick of taking his crap!  I should rip his throat out,” Adrian growled.  “Then we’ll see if he can boss us around without a larynx.”  He stomped into the Lockwood crypt where he met Tyler and Kim.

Tyler nodded to him.  “You won’t have to take it much longer.”

“You keep saying that,” Kim drawled antagonistically, “but here we are, hiding and plotting a revolution that is never going to happen.”  She placed her hands on her hips and felt from Adrian’s stance next to her that he felt the same way.

“Never say never,” Hayley’s voice chided as she hopped down and strode toward them.  “And never say that I never pull through.”  She smirked.  “I found the witch that’s going to save your lives.”

Adrian’s lips pulled into an expectant grin.  “Are you serious?”

Tyler returned the look with a smile of his own.  “We promised we’d free you from Klaus.”  He eyed Kim.  “You did your parts my breaking your sire bonds . . . now Hayley and I are going to do ours.”  Tyler left them there, and went to track down Caroline at the Christmas charity event that was being held in town.  When he explained his plan to her, she was not nearly as excited.

“You’re going to do what?” She hissed angrily.

“Hayley found a witch strong enough to a body switching spell,” Tyler repeated calmly.  “You know the Klaus specialty.”

Caroline shot him an incredulous glance, seemingly unable to believe her own ears. “So you’re going to put Klaus in another body?  And then what?”

“We’ll incase the body in concrete and then bury it,” Tyler finished.

Caroline threw up her arms.  “Why not just desiccate him like Bonnie did?”

“Because to do that spell you need to stop a human heart,” Tyler said dryly, “and I was a little low on volunteers.”

Caroline scowled.  “Well, who was dumb enough to volunteer to switch bodies with Klaus?”  Tyler cleared his throat awkwardly and stuffed his hands into his suit pocket.

“Look, don’t freak out –” Tyler started, but Caroline cut him off.

“Don’t freak out?” She demanded.  “What do you mean, freak out?  I’m about to hemorrhage!  _You_ volunteered?”

“It’s not forever!  It’s just long enough for the hybrids to completely disappear!” Tyler argued.

“Well, I can think of better ways for us to spend our Senior Year than you buried in concrete, Tyler!” 

Tyler sighed and placed his hands onto her shoulders.  “Listen, Care.  This started with me; it has to _end_ with me.  I need your support.”

Caroline looked up and met his gaze.

.

.

.

Jeremy had gone early in the morning to the Gilbert Lake House with Bonnie and Kol, and he’d barely restrained himself from trying to stake the Original the entire car ride.  When they’d arrived, he’d forced himself to work off some energy by running and hiking, and then later, chopping wood for the fireplace.  For the most part, Kol had stayed inside or away from Jeremy, doing the smart thing for once in his exponentially long life.

It had been relatively easy to keep his mind off the vampire, but then Elena and Damon arrived in the latter’s blue mustang.

“They really shouldn’t be here,” Jeremy muttered as he fingered a splintered piece of wood from the collection he was chopping.  Bonnie was at his shoulder, gripping his elbow.  He could almost feel the power of her magic, of Expression, buzzing and bubbling beneath her skin.

“They’re here to help you,” Bonnie explained quietly.

“Why can’t Kol?” Jeremy asked sharply.  “I don’t want to hurt Elena, but I do at the same time.  Kol’s un-killable.”

“You don’t want to kill Kol as much because you can someone sense his magic,” Bonnie explained to him.  “You feel the full effect unless it’s not marred by his . . . oddness.  And Elena and Damon want to help you.”  Jeremy tried not to think of Stephanie and why she wasn’t there.  It probably better anyway, he thought decisively.  His blood still boiled when he thought of their last encounter.  His thoughts went to April and softened, wishing he could have seen her before he’d left town.  He’d text her later, he decided.

“Do you trust me?” Bonnie asked him quietly.

Jeremy’s eyes were still locked on the vampire couple inside the little blue car.  Slowly, his fingers relaxed on the wooden splinter and Bonnie’s hand reached out to take it from him.  Finally, he said, “Yeah.  I trust you.”

“Good.  Let’s go inside,” Bonnie said and she put a hand to the small of Jeremy’s back and led him toward the Lake House.  They passed Shane, who was also endeavoring to help them out, despite the suspicion they held for him.  He was useful and definitely knowledgeable.

Damon and Elena got out of the car and headed to the open door of the Lake House.  They watched as Shane, Bonnie and Jeremy set up the table and chairs while Kol sat on top of the counter, smirking and being completely unhelpful.  When everything was set, Shane turned to face Jeremy directly.

“We’re ready here,” He explained.  “But first, we need you to invite her inside the house.”  He inclined his curly head to the door, where Elena stood patiently, fingering her scarf with nervous hands.

“This is your house now, Jere,” Elena spoke softly, as if afraid to startle her brother.  “You have to invite me in.”  Jeremy regarded her warily, which nearly broke her heart.

“Go on, Jeremy; you can let her in,” Shane called.

Jeremy licked his lips.  “You can come in,” He said to Elena and a genuinely happy smile broke across her face.  She stepped over the threshold a little tentatively, but gained confidence when Jeremy returned her slight grin.  Elena walked to him and placed one hand onto his shoulder.  She rubbed it gently and moved passed him to set down her bag next to Kol on the counter.  But in a less time necessary for a human to blink, Jeremy had swung around and attempted to stake her.  Elena used her enhanced speed to flash around him and put her brother into a headlock.

“Jeremy!” Bonnie called and the house was quiet for several tense moments.

“Well, on this note,” Damon said wryly from outside, “I do happen to have good news.  Klaus isn’t after Elena anymore.”  His attempt at levity was appreciated and it was distracting enough for Elena and Jeremy to separate quickly and quietly.

“Why?  What happened?” Jeremy asked as he purposefully strode across the room to distance himself from his vampire friends and family.

“He had some kind of revival or awakening,” Damon said as he leant against the door hinge, still uninvited.  “He’s trying to repent or something, I don’t know.  Frankly, I don’t care.  I’m just glad there will be no attempts to snatch my girlfriend and turn her into a human blood bag again.”

“Well, if he changes his mind, I’ll find him,” Bonnie promised darkly.

Kol was suspiciously silent on the matter, and Shane redirected their focus back to the matter at hand.  “While that’s great – and confusing news – that I’ll sure to have questions about later, we’re here for a reason.”  He clapped his hands.  “So let’s get started.”

Shane promptly tied the Hunter down with ropes.  The candles were lit and his device for hypnotism was set, ticking and clicking.  “Now,” Shane started, “all Jeremy feels when he sees a vampire is a deeply ingrained desire to kill them, even if consciously he doesn’t want to.”  He turned to Elena, who’d seated herself into another chair a little distance away.  “In your case, it’s a subconscious desire.”

“Persuasion helps reverse your subconscious thoughts,” Bonnie explained a little more.

“Think of it as more of a conditioned response; see vampire, kill vampire.  What I’m creating is a kind of middle detour, where his subconscious learns to recognize you as someone he loves . . . someone he wants to protect.”  He paused and looked at Jeremy’s still form and closed eyes.  “And that gives him a choice.  He can choose to take the detour instead of the conditioned response.”  Shane turned to Jeremy and murmured quiet words under his breath that Bonnie couldn’t hear, but the vampires in the room could.  He turned back to Elena.  “Now, talk to him.”

“I’m not really sure what to say,” Elena admitted.

“You chose to do this here at your family’s vacation house, so start by telling him why,” Shane suggested.

“Okay.”  Elena bit her lip.  “Stephanie suggested it, actually, so that we could get away from Mystic Falls and Klaus and all the drama there.  I think she thought it would be peaceful for you.  I agreed because every holiday, we came here; this place was family.  And when Mom and Dad died, Jenna made us come here and we thought it was an awful idea . . . but it was like they were here with us.”  She smiled in remembrance and Jeremy’s eyes slid open.  “They would have wanted us to stick together, Jere, to fight for each other, no matter what.”

Shane quietly asked Jeremy, “How do you feel about Elena right now?”

Jeremy’s eyes were riveted intently on his sister.  “She ruined our lives.  She’s not even my real sister; she’s just the reason that every single person I’ve loved has died or been lost.  She means nothing to me.  I will kill her, even if that means I die myself.”  Shane reached out and knocked on the table, ending the hypnotism and Jeremy seemed to come awake.  He blinked rapidly and asked, “Did it work?”

“If you count giving your sister death threats, it completely worked,” Kol drawled.

.

.

.

“Thank God you’re here!  I’m having a crisis!” Caroline said plaintively as she grabbed Stephanie into a tight hug.  She pulled back and held Steph at arm’s length.  “You’re late!” She admonished.

“I’m sorry,” Steph shrugged sheepishly.  “What’s the matter?”

Caroline glowered.  “My boyfriend is a martyr.”

Stephanie arched one brow in surprise.  “Tyler Lockwood, a martyr?  I feel like I’m missing a lot.”

“He and his crew are planning on taking out Klaus, tonight,” Caroline shared quietly, her eyes sweeping the charity event as if he was lingering nearby – which was always a possibility.

Stephanie felt a pit in her stomach that surprised her.  “Why?”

Caroline squinted at her.  “Because he’s evil and vile and used his sire bond on them?”

“Well, the sire bond is kind of unintentional,” Stephanie found herself excusing, “and I’ve seen what he uses his hybrids for; the one I saw yesterday was just a messenger bird.”

“Yeah, well, what about the one he sent into the Grill to get blown up?” Caroline demanded quietly.  She took Stephanie’s hand and led her away so that Tyler wouldn’t accidentally overhear them.  She pulled Steph onto the shadowed cemented steps near one of the federal buildings.  “That one wasn’t just a messenger bird.”

“But we asked him to do that,” Stephanie said.  “We needed someone to help get out the hostages and we needed someone nearly indestructible.  We all agreed about the hybrid then.”

Caroline shoved her hand through her blonde hair.  “What’s the matter with you?” She demanded.  “Klaus kept you prisoner for like, a really long time.  And now you’re defending him?”

Stephanie crossed her arms protectively.  “I’m not saying I like the guy, Care, I’m just saying the hybrid thing is getting out of control, and he’s not going to make anymore, he promised.  He’s going to leave the Cure alone and let Elena live out her vampire life.”

“What about the things he’s done in the past?  The things he did to you?” Caroline asked sharply.

“I had feelings for him at one point too,” Stephanie told her friend.  “And I’ve done terrible things as well, and you’ve all forgiven me for it.”

“Because you had your switch turned off,” Caroline defended.

“But that doesn’t make what I did any better,” Stephanie said flatly.  “I still killed and tortured and hunted for the fun of it.  We’ve all killed people, Caroline, all except Elena.  What makes us so different from Klaus?  I can name dozens of things we’ve all done.  What makes us any better than Klaus?  The only I can think of is the fact that we have friends and family we can trust.  Despite the fact that Klaus has his siblings, he barely trusts them at all.”

“Do you still have feelings for Klaus?” She whispered.    

Steph pressed her lips into a thin, straight line.  “I just don’t think this is the answer.  And whenever we try to put Klaus down, he always escapes or we need him for something to help.  I think we need to call the plan off.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Tyler called down to them and the girls’ heads shot up to stare.  The angry hybrid began to stalk toward them.  “You told her?” Tyler asked Caroline harshly.  “I’ve had my twelve hybrids sworn to secrecy for a month.  I have Hayley and a witch risking their lives and you’re blabbing my plan to her?”  He waved a hand at Steph in disgust.

“She’s one of my best friends, Tyler,” Caroline defended.  “I trust her.”

“Every day that goes by that we don’t do this, they’re at risk,” Tyler said shortly, in reference to the other hybrids.  “You and Klaus already served up two for the Hunters to kill – Connor and Jeremy.  I don’t owe you anything.  I’m taking him out.”  He turned and started to walk away, but Stephanie blurred in front of him, putting her small hands onto his chest.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”

“Steph . . .” Caroline called slowly.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t!” Stephanie snapped.

“Stephanie!” Caroline called louder, her large eyes rounded and staring at something just over her friend’s shoulder.  Steph turned her head to look behind her and felt her heart stutter in her chest; Tyler’s hybrid pack was standing there in force and looking for blood.  She looked and saw more behind Caroline, blocking them in.

“Sorry, but you don’t have a choice,” Tyler told her firmly, shaking his head.  He nodded toward the girls and they were very quickly picked up and taken.  Tyler led the way to his family’s crypt and picked up the chains he used to use for his transformations.

“Tyler,” Caroline said.

He ignored her.  “Keep them here until Klaus gets here.”  He turned to Kim.  “Use these if you have to.”

“Come on,” Stephanie tried to placate, “Is this really necessary?”

“I know this is about the Cure,” Tyler snapped.  “But do you want to know what happens when a hybrid is cured?  They go back to being werewolves and forced to turn every full moon.  None of us give a rat’s ass about the damn Cure.”  He glared at Caroline.  “I needed you to be on my side, Care.”  Then he and a few of his hybrids stomped off, leaving the two vampires behind, guarded by the rest.

.

.

.

“We’re going to try again soon,” Elena commented to Damon as he approached her and Shane on the in the kitchen.  Bonnie and Kol were in the living room with Jeremy.

“Well, then if this hypnosis thing works, then we’ll be singing Kumbaya around the fire by dinnertime.” Damon smirked and turned his attention onto Shane.  “So tell me why I’m not killing you.”

“Damon,” Elena warned.

“I’m serious,” Damon said shortly, “Why are you after the vampire Cure?”

“I’m not after the Cure, and I have no idea why you’d think that,” Shane replied.

“Why else would you be so interested in Hunters and their marks?” Damon asked him.

“I can tell you where to find it though,” Shane explained.  There was whoosh of air and then Kol was there in front of Shane.

“What did you say?” He inquired. 

“You’re a vampire?” Shane asked, startled.  “I’d thought originally, but then I saw you do magic . . . how?”

“That’s not important right now,” Kol said firmly.  “Klaus can show us to the Cure already.”

“The sword can lead you there, sure,” Shane gave up all pretenses then, “but so can I.”  Bonnie joined them then.

“What?  How?” She asked.  Jeremy was still in the other room.

“I’ve been there,” Shane said slowly.

“Alright, Shane,” Kol drawled, “it’s time for you to tell us a few things that you’ve neglected to mention.  After you.”  He indicated that Shane head to the living room, and he followed close behind as he did so.  They all crowded around, including Jeremy, who’d heard the conversation with his Hunter hearing.  “Now, to make sure you’re telling us the truth, I’m going to perform a tiny spell.”

“There are truth spells?” Damon twisted up his face.

“Mum used to place them on us when we were children,” Kol said idly as he tied Shane up with the ropes they’d previously used on Jeremy, “whenever she suspected we weren’t telling her the truth.  Klaus and I were devious little runts, believe it or not.”

“I couldn’t possibly,” Damon deadpanned.

“Tying me up isn’t necessary,” Shane said and he was clearly perspiring in anxiety.  “Really.  Bonnie, tell them.”

“I’d actually like to know a few things myself,” Bonnie said flatly.

“Bonnie,” Shane warned, “you need me to help with Expression.”

“As far as I can tell, you haven’t really helped me at all,” She told him.  “Now, Kol, the spell.”

“This won’t hurt a bit,” Kol promised, “unfortunately.”  He started to murmur the incantation underneath his breath and the air in the room suddenly became stale and dry.  “Now, everyone in the room has to speak the truth when they talk.”

“That’s kind of cool,” Damon said, “but really unsettling at the same time.”  He grimaced.

“It also compels you to speak,” Kol said with a lofty smirk.  He turned to Shane.  “Now.  Tell us how you’re connected to the late Pastor Young and about your little rock from the school occult exhibit.”

Shane’s mouth opened without his consent and words spilled from his mouth, “I’ll start with the rock.  It’s Silas’ headstone.  I’m sure you know the story; once upon a time there was a witch called Silas who fell in love with a girl and wanted to be with her forever.  So he and his best friend, another witch, made immortality spell.  His best friend got jealous and killed Silas’ girl before he had a chance to make her immortal.  Well, cursed with eternal life without his one true love, Silas finds a way to reverse the spell, but before he had a chance to take his Cure, his former best friend buries him under ground, leaving him and the Cure underground to rot.  Pastor Young and I were conspiring to perform the first sacrifice to start a witch off on Expression.”

“Why?” Elena asked, horrified.

“We have to complete the Expression triangle,” Shane said and he was clearly pained by his admittance. 

“What does the triangle consist of?” Bonnie asked sharply.

“Twelve humans, twelve demons, and twelve witches,” Shane blurted.  “Pastor Young obviously got the humans and I’ve been working with Hayley Marshall to get twelve hybrids unsired so that we could get Klaus to kill them.”

“What about the witches?” Kol asked coldly.

“I was going to try and get Bonnie to lure them to Mystic Falls later,” Shane admitted, “on the pretense that they could help with Expression.  Then she’d kill them and the triangle would be complete.”

“What’s the point of the Expression Triangle?” Damon demanded.

“Why did you murder all of those people?” Bonnie raised her hands threateningly.  “What’s so important?”

“I was going to use you all to find the Cure and then use it to resurrect Silas.  The power of the Expression Triangle could be used to bring down the veil to the Other Side and all of the people who’d been killed in the process would be brought back to life.  He promised me when I visited the first time.  He’s going to bring back my wife and son from the dead.  Pastor Young agreed so that he could get his wife back.”  Shane’s eyes were fever bright and he licked his lips.  His breathing was erratic. 

“The Other Side?” Damon asked doubtfully. 

“Wouldn’t bringing down the veil release all the other dead people on the Other Side?” Bonnie asked.

“Hell on earth,” Kol reminded everyone, but his eyes were locked on Shane.  “Bonnie’s right.  All the supernatural creatures on the other side would overrun the world again, causing chaos, hell and brimstone and the like.  We can’t let him succeed.”

“You could see your Grams,” Shane said to Bonnie, and then he turned to Kol.  “You could see your parents again.  And friends you’ve lost over the years.  Any dead supernatural.”  Elena and Damon exchanged glances and Jeremy licked his lips.

“No,” Bonnie growled.  “It wouldn’t be worth it.  It would endanger all of humanity!”  The weather outside was darkening and thunder clouds rumbled.  Bonnie seemed to be vibrating with energy and magic.  Her eyes flashed black.  “I won’t let you kill any more people!”  She roared and black veins crawled down her face. 

Lightning struck somewhere and a tree fell.  They could hear the water in the lake crashing up onto the ground, flooding the grass and the area where the cars were parked.  Shane began to choke and the veins in his eyes turned red.  Blood dribbled down his nose and out of his mouth and his body began to spasm.

“Bonnie, no!” Elena shrieked.  “Don’t kill him!”

Kol moved to shake Bonnie out of her trance, but she lifted a hand and blasted him away and out the front window, shattering the glass.  Damon picked up and Elena and snatched Jeremy and shoved them out the door, not eager to see what Bonnie could do to someone who _wasn’t_ an invincible Original vampire.

“Damon, we can’t let her kill him!”  Elena screamed, but her voice could barely be heard over the loud wind.  “She’ll never forgive herself!”

“Well, I’m open to ideas!” Damon shouted back.  Kol roused from the ground and made his way back towards the house, but abruptly the wind stopped and the storm paused.  The sudden silence was alarming.

“Bonnie!” Elena yelled and she broke Damon’s hold on her and raced to the house.  She found Bonnie standing, wild eyed and empowered above Shane’s unmoving body.

“He’s dead.”  Her own voice was as lifeless as the corpse in front of her.  “He can’t hurt anyone else.”  And she collapsed.

.

.

.

“This is ridiculous,” Caroline growled as she paced angrily in the crypt beneath the Lockwood property.  She eyed their hybrid guards.  “We are not hostages!”

“Sure you are, sweetie,” Kim said sickeningly sweet and Caroline ghosted to her side threatening.  A phone suddenly rang and they all turned their heads to Stephanie.

“Relax,” She soothed, “it’s my brother.”  She turned away from the crowd.  “Hey.  What’s up?”

“We have a problem at casa de Gilbert’s Lake House,” Damon said tensely.

“What do say?  Caroline and I are in a bit of trouble ourselves,” Stephanie said wryly and glanced at their guards.  “What’s your issue?”

“Shane has been conspiring to release Silas and break down the veil to the Other Side, releasing every dead supernatural ever.  The Expression was a tool, and he was using Bonnie and he’s using Hayley too.”  The hybrids looked up at that, their eyes curious.

Stephanie asked sharply, “What the hell?”

“Yeah.  It’s a long story, I suggest you get the eBook,” Damon drawled.  “But it gets better, I swear.  Bonnie was overtaken by Expression, kicked us all out of the house and then killed Shane.”

“Oh my God,” Stephanie breathed and Caroline’s hand flew to her mouth in shock.  “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, not really,” Damon admitted and Steph could just imagine him rubbing the back of his neck.

“What about Jeremy?” She had to know.

“Elena and I are going to have to stay here with him and try to figure out this Hunter thing.  I think Bonnie and Kol are going to be returning to Mystic Falls soon-ish,” Damon explained.

“Tell me more about the hybrid thing, because that’s kind of related to my problems,” Stephanie told him.

“Well, apparently to drop the veil, three separate sacrifices have to happen: humans, demons and witches.  Guess which one the hybrids are?  Demons?  Ding, ding, ding!  And Hayley was the one plotting with him to get them all killed some kind of revolution against Klaus or something; I mean, there’s no way they would win a fight like that.  But the point is, they’re all in trouble, so I suggest getting the hell out of dodge if I were them.”

Stephanie locked eyes with a shocked Kim and nodded her head.  “Thanks, brother.”

“No problem.  Anything I can do to help with your furry little problem?”

“I think you just did.”  Stephanie ended the call and addressed Kim, “So, what do you say you let us out now?”

“How do we know your brother isn’t lying to save your asses?” Kim barked.

“He doesn’t know we’re being held hostage by you.”

Kim folded her arms and looked around the crypt and at her pack’s faces.  One of them spoke up, “Revenge isn’t worth dying for, Kim.  Hayley probably doesn’t know that Shane guy is dead, so she’ll probably talk Tyler and having us go through the plan and ensuring that we die.  I think we should get out of here, like that vampire suggested.”

“We can explain to Tyler what’s happened,” Kim said.

“You think he’s going to believe us over his pretty little werewolf?” The other hybrid asked.  “Really, Kim?  He’s driven by revenge.  I value my life more than that.  So I’m out.”

The other remaining hybrids began to grumble underneath their breaths and looked to Kim uncertainly.  Finally the female hybrid grunted.  “Fine.  We’ll collect the others and run.  You,” She nodded towards Stephanie and Caroline, “tell Tyler about Hayley.  If he wants to join us, that’s fine, but we’re not going to our deaths because he always listens to that wolf.  We want to live.”  And amazingly, Kim took the alpha role and led the hybrids out, already dialing the others.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Caroline breathed to Stephanie, eyes wide.  “We’re never this lucky.”

“It was about time,” Stephanie said and grasped Caroline’s shoulder tightly.  “Now let’s go find Tyler and tell him Hayley is backstabbing bitch.”  Caroline and Steph grinned at each other and flashed above ground.  Locating Tyler and Hayley was easy; wrestling them into the women’s bathroom to talk was not.  When they finally got them there, both were incensed.

“How did you two even get out?” Tyler snarled.

“We got out because even your hybrids recognized the stupidity of your alpha stupid plan!” Caroline spat.

“I’m not going to fight with you anymore, Caroline,” Tyler told her.

“We don’t have to fight,” Stephanie said lightly, “because you’re going to listen.  Damon, Elena and Bonnie were with Shane earlier today trying to help Jeremy out with his Hunter’s mark. They found out some interesting information, like the fact that Hayley has been working with Shane for a while to kill your hybrids.”

“What?” Tyler was incredulous.  “That’s ridiculous!”

“It is,” Hayley snarled and crossed her arms.  “I would never!  I’m trying to help them!”

“Shane was using you to finish the Expression Triangle so he could bring down the veil to the Other Side,” Caroline continued for Stephanie.

“Do you realize what you sound like right now?  Crazy!”  Tyler was furious.  “Come on, Hayley.”

“Your hybrids already know about Hayley’s plan,” Stephanie said.  “They’re gone.  They don’t want to pieces in a game bigger than them that will cost them their lives.”

“What?” Tyler roared and he lunged across the restroom to tackle Stephanie. 

“Tyler, no!” Caroline screeched and tore her boyfriend off of her friend.  Tyler’s fangs were dropped and his eyes black.  Hayley watched the fight unfolding in front of her and could only think of her missed opportunity.  Shane was dead?  She’d lost her only way of finding her family.

“Get off of me, Care!” Tyler growled, voice distorted by the fangs in his mouth.

“Get off of Steph.”  Caroline lunged forwards and again and tried to drag him off, but Tyler snapped his head around and bit her.  The blonde paled, and Tyler froze in horror.  Steph took the moment given to her and snatched Caroline away and flashed out of the restroom.

“Oh God, I’m going to die,” Caroline wailed as she shuddered in Steph’s arms.  “I’m going to die. Oh God, what will I tell my mom?”

“You’re _not_ going to die.”  Stephanie lightly hit her friend on the shoulder.  “Let me look at it.”  Caroline extended her arm and Steph examined the bite; it was nasty and placed right on her wrist.

“It doesn’t look good,” Caroline whimpered.

“No, but I know Klaus will help you,” Steph promised.  “Come on.”

.

.

.

“Well, you should get home,” Damon told Kol and Bonnie.  “It sounds like there’s trouble afoot in Mystic Falls.”

“What happened now?” Kol asked acerbically, his usual good humor gone.

“Something with the hybrids,” Damon said and waved his hand.  “I don’t know.  But since we,” He indicated himself, Elena and Jeremy, “can’t be there, I think you two should go.  Bonnie’s not going to be able to help much right now anyway.”  Both vampires looked over to the witch, who was being comforted by the Gilbert siblings.  Apparently a girl in distress was what Jeremy needed to focus on something other than murdering his sister for the time being.  “She’s not going to be up to helping much again today.”

“Fine.”  Kol hopped up off the porch and left Damon standing there alone. 

“Check on my sister, would you?” Damon requested and Kol gave him the bird.

“Not a bloody nanny!” He hollered back and went to gently collect Bonnie from the Gilberts.  “Come on, darling,” Kol said softly, “we’ll get you home.”  Bonnie was in some kind of daze, and had been since she’d woken up from her fainting spell with blood dripping from her nose.  Damon had taken care of the body.

Kol helped Bonnie to her feet and led her to her car, settling her into the passenger seat.  He waved at Damon a little cheekily, and then tore off into the night.

.

.

.

Caroline wasn’t so bad off yet, but she would be quicker to deteriorate than if she had been bitten by a regular werewolf, considering Tyler was a hybrid.  Steph and Care walked side by side as they searched out Klaus, eventually finding him close to his painting’s display.  Unfortunately, they also saw Hayley walking away from him at the same time.

Klaus spotted the girls.  “She doesn’t like me very much,” He remarked, nodding towards Hayley.  He inclined his head toward Stephanie and Caroline and his nostrils flared.  “Is there a problem, love?”

“Caroline’s been bitten,” Stephanie whispered.  Caroline wavered on her feet, and Steph and Klaus simultaneously reached out to steady her.  “It was a hybrid.”

“Tyler,” Caroline groaned.  “It was Tyler.”

“Well, that’s interesting,” Klaus said, but it was clear that he was a little confused.  “Any reason as to why?”  They were both still holding on to Caroline.

“He got pissed that we ruined his plan to kill you,” Stephanie replied dryly.  “And by the way, Hayley is probably angry because we ruined her plan to get the hybrids killed for Shane.”

Klaus arched his eyebrows.  “Oh?”

“It’s been a long night.” Stephanie shook her head.  “Would you . . . ?” She looked at Caroline.

“Sure, love,” Klaus said quietly.  “But let’s move into the shadows, yes?  Wouldn’t want to be seen.”  Together, Steph and Klaus led a staggering Caroline into the darkness and cover the trees provided.  There, Klaus bit into his wrist and gave a few drops to the blonde vampire.  She drank it hesitantly, but instantly perked up when it began to heal her.  He had to disentangle her from feeding after she was through.  “That should do it.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie said honestly, green eyes locking on blue. 

Caroline wiped her mouth while looking at the ground.  Finally, she said, “Thanks for the save.  I still don’t like you, but . . . I guess you’re not a complete ass.”  She turned to Stephanie.  “I’m going to go home, okay?  I just want to go to bed.  I can’t deal with Tyler anymore tonight.  Do you think he’ll try anything else?”

“Well, I think I’ll take care of Tyler myself,” Klaus said pleasantly.

“Don’t kill him!” Caroline said hurriedly.  “Please, I’m begging you.”

“Please,” Stephanie added.

“And where are the other hybrids?”

“They bailed as soon as they realized they were going to be sacrificed,” Caroline explained.  “So please don’t kill them either.”

Klaus only hummed.  “See you ladies later.”  And then he disappeared.

“He won’t kill Tyler, will he?” Caroline asked anxiously.

Stephanie trailed off.  “I don’t think he will.”  But she wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t kill someone else to get a point across.

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.

.

Klaus sought out Carol Lockwood and found her in front of the fountain.  “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Lockwood?  You looking for Tyler?  I would like a little word with him, myself.”  He kept in mind Stephanie and Caroline’s pleadings, but he needed to prove a point.  If Steph had tried to prevent his death earlier that day, surely she wouldn’t change her mind over this.

“Please don’t hurt him.  He’s my son; he’s all I have.” So Carol knew about the plan, then.  Her brown eyes were large and looked luminous in the night.

“And you’re all he has; there’s a beautiful symmetry to that, don’t you think?”  Klaus took Carol by the neck and plunged her face into the fountain and held her down, despite her struggles, and kept her there until she was dead.  “I want Tyler to be the one to find you,” He told the corpse. 

“Looks like your wish was granted,” Tyler growled from behind Klaus.  The elder hybrid turned and grinned.

“Thanks for joining me, mate.  There was something I wanted to talk about.”

“You just killed my mom,” Tyler said and tears were in his eyes.  “She didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Well, she was all you had, and you were all she had, like she said,” Klaus explained as he stood.  “I wanted to make a point.  Nobody crosses me and lives without at least a few consequences.  Luckily for you, Caroline Forbes begged for your life and she’s a dear friend of my beloved.  So I’m going to give you a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“You bastard,” Tyler choked.  “Did you at least save Care?”

“I did, in fact.”  Klaus nodded.  “But that doesn’t mean you’ll see her again, unless she decides to go into exile with you.”

“What?” Tyler whispered.

“I’m going to chase you to the ends of the earth,” Klaus whispered, “like I did with Katerina Petrova.  She ran for five hundred years and is still afraid to show her face.  I think that sounds like an appropriate punishment.  Take your girl with you if you want, she won’t be harmed.”

Tyler glowered.  “No.”

“Then I’ll you too,” Klaus said simply.  “So I’d say you’d better start running.”

Tyler glanced at his mother’s body and then at Klaus again.  He growled and took off, passing Hayley who was waiting in the woods for him just away from the charity ball.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“He killed my mom,” Tyler cried.  “He drowned her.”

“Ty, I’m so sorry,” Hayley rubbed his arm.  “We’ll get him back, okay?  We will.”

“He banished me from Mystic Falls,” Tyler spat through her tears.  “I have to leave, now, after I say goodbye to Caroline.”

“I’ll come with you,” Hayley said eagerly.  “We’ll find more werewolves and build up an army to take Klaus.  We can do it.”

Tyler licked his lips.  “Hayley-”

“Come on, Ty,” Hayley begged with an urgency in her eye.  “You can’t go back to living like a regular guy.  You’ve had a taste of pack life – and you liked it.  Admit it, Ty.  We’ll get a bunch of werewolves and maybe find some vampires that hate Klaus; it can’t be that hard.  And we’ll revenge.  I promise.”

Tyler regarded her with tearful eyes and finally nodded.  “Yeah, okay. I – I just have to say goodbye to Caroline.  I can’t get her involved in all of this.”

Hayley reluctantly nodded.  “I’ll meet you at your house.” 

“Okay,” Tyler agreed and then spontaneously hugged Hayley.  “Thanks for sticking with me.  I’m sorry about the accusations and how Care and Stephanie ruined our plan.”

“We’ll fix it,” Hayley promised.

And Tyler disappeared to say goodbye.

 

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tbc.


	9. i found a martyr in my bed tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If I had a heart I could love you  
> If I had a voice I would sing  
> After the night when I wake up  
> I'll see what tomorrow brings.”

Stephanie received two surprises when she woke up the following morning: one, Klaus had left her another drawing, and two, Carol Lockwood was dead.

She found the first on her desk, taped to the leather face of her journal.  It was just a pencil sketch, but the shading was perfection and it looked like an exact replica of its likeness, which was of a horse and carriage from the time of Steph’s childhood.  Stepping out of the carriage was Klaus’ guess of what she looked like when she was a young girl, which Stephanie admitted was pretty accurate.  She found the second thing out when Caroline called in tears and said that Tyler’s mom was dead and he was leaving with Hayley and they’d broken up just before he’d gone.  Also, there was a memorial at the high school that morning.  Stephanie was upset, but couldn’t find it in herself to be surprised at Carol’s death;  though everyone surely thought the ‘accident’ was just alcohol poisoning, Stephanie had a pretty good idea of who or what had killed the mayor.  She called Damon, Elena and Jeremy at the Gilbert lake house and told them the news.

“Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing.  That one community is stronger when it is together . . . but how can a community stay strong when its mayor is gone?  And Carol was so much more than a mayor.”  Liz Forbes was standing stiffly in her sheriff’s uniform as she addressed the people gathered in the high school gymnasium for the mayor’s memorial.  She was choked up and her eyes looked suspiciously red rimmed.  Caroline sat in between Bonnie and Stephanie, holding their hands for comfort, and Kol had joined them for the event to keep an eye on the increasingly unstable witch.  Matt and Anna sat just in front of Caroline and Bonnie, while April was on the other side of Anna, biting her nails anxiously.

“Where’s Elena?” Caroline whispered as Bonnie forwent the offered flame, and lit her candle with magic.  Caroline and Stephanie shared flames, and then Steph lit the person on her left’s candle.

“At the lake house; she and Damon didn’t think it would be a good idea to leave Jere there or bring him home yet,” Stephanie replied softly.

“She’s probably so upset she’s not here.”  Caroline dabbed at her eye with a Kleenex and sniffled.  “And everyone is probably wondering where Tyler went.  Oh, my mascara’s running.”  The breakup was hard on her, especially considering the fact that Tyler had chosen to run off with _Hayley Marshall,_ of all people. 

Down at the podium, Liz was continuing steadfastly on.  “She was an opened minded friend and a concerned mother taken from us too soon by a terrible accident.  So please join me in a moment of silence in her memory.”  Everyone bowed their heads and the gym was eerily silent for several beats.  “Thank you very much.”  Liz cleared her throat and wiped a little at her puffy eyes.  “In this tragedy, our town has elected an interim mayor that many of you will recognize.  Rudy Hopkins.”  She nodded toward the crowd and the people cheered, while Bonnie’s father stood to receive the applause.  He joined Liz at the podium, which Liz gave to him with a slight inclination of her head.  Bonnie seemed to wake up at the sight of her father and she blew out a billowing rush of air.

Kol noticed and she her mildly concerned glance that he tried to cover up with a bit of humor.  “Not on good terms with Dad?  He can’t be as bad as mine was.”

“Have you noticed him around?”  Bonnie’s whole body was rigid and she glared at her father.  Stephanie was surprised the man wasn’t lighting up in spontaneous flames.  “He’s a traveling pharmaceuticals rep and he’s never home.  It’s the reason that I stayed with my Grams so often and why you’re allowed at my house.  He probably still thinks I’m daddy’s little girl and am going to do everything he says at the drop of a hat.”

“Which I gather isn’t going to happen?”  Kol sounded amused.

“In his dreams, maybe,” Bonnie said shortly and glared at her father as he began to address the student body.  Kol said nothing more, but he felt the bleachers’ minute trembling increase as Bonnie’s brows furrowed deeply into her forehead. 

“Thank you Sheriff Forbes.  Carol Lockwood put this town first, and that’s why I’m here.  You folks are the future of Mystic Falls and I intend to ensure your protection.  For the time being, I am implementing a curfew of 8:30 PM and am canceling this evening’s decade dance.  While I realize that the late mayor’s death was ruled as an accident, there are several minds thinking the same thing; that it was far too coincidental, combined with the other multiple deaths the town has suffered.  Keep in mind that we only have your best interests at heart.  Thank you.”  Rudy left the podium and the principle came forward to excuse the students. 

The group of friends stood and headed off school grounds.  Matt slung an arm around Anna’s shoulders and she placed her hand on his hip.  “We’ve got to get to work,” She said apologetically to their little group of friends.

“We’ll call you later.”  Matt nodded at Bonnie.  “Good luck with your dad.”  His voice was a little wistful, reminding Steph that as far as she knew, Matt had never known his own father.  The couple turned and walked to blonde’s truck together, whispering quietly into each other’s ears.

“I can try and help,” Kol said suddenly and his attention was riveted onto the witch as his side.  His eyes were scarily intense. 

“With what?”  Bonnie adjusted the strap on her purse and fiddled with her phone.  Steph and Caroline pulled a little away from them to give the two a little space.

“The Expression;” Kol replied, “considering everything.  I can call Elijah and Finn and see if one of them has our mother’s grimoire.  There might be something in it that can help you with your control.”

There was a spark of interest in the witch’s eyes that warred with a small fire of her ever lit defiance.  “I don’t need help controlling it.”

Kol barked dry laughter, a quick and harsh sound.  “Was that a joke?  Because it was made in very poor taste.  Besides, there are tons of spells you’ve probably never heard of that you can learn from Mum’s books.  It’ll be a learning experience – a fun one.” 

Bonnie bit her lip but quickly nodded.  She couldn’t hide that she was at least a little excited to learn more magic and possibly learn to control what she had.  There was a dark part of her though, a part that remembered Shane’s death and had almost enjoyed it, which warred with her anguish at taking a human life, even if it was to save more lives.  She avoided thinking on it too much and tried to focus on a certain level of detachment.

Kol smirked and his good humor returned with his relief.  “Good.”  He pulled out the cellphone Bonnie had recently taught him to use and texted Elijah – if possible, he’d rather avoid talking to Finn, the boring bastard.  Beside them, Stephanie and Caroline paused in their own conversation.

“Did you see that?”

Kol glanced up as Bonnie asked, “See what?”

“Rebekah,” Caroline replied uneasily.  “I thought she was over there.”  She pointed towards the trees, but no one could be seen in the shrubbery.  Of course, that meant nothing in the world of the supernatural where almost everyone had enhanced speed and a special talent for going unnoticed on their side.

“She’s probably home for a little family reunion.  Wonderful.”  Kol rolled his eyes, uninterested, and returned to his phone.  “How do you play Angry Birds?” He asked Bonnie suddenly. 

She huffed, bemused and sufficiently distracted.  “I’m going to the Grill for a while,” She told her friends.  “Tell me if anything happens with Rebekah, okay?  I’ll take care of her if I need to.”

“Let’s not get violent,” Kol muttered, and continued to bother Bonnie on their way to the Grill, eager to learn how to play the little games on his phone.  She eventually showed him the admittedly easy rules and controls and then he was set.  They walked into the restaurant and bar together, and were quickly flagged down by Rudy.  Bonnie accidentally brushed passed an older woman on her way to the table and felt and brief tingling sensation.  She glanced up, but the woman was already at the bar and did not turn back. 

“Bonnie?” Kol asked, distracted.

“It’s nothing,” She muttered, gaze still locked on the woman and her companion.  Bonnie looked away and gave her father a short wave.

“Bonnie,” Rudy said with a wide grin.  “Sit down and talk with your dad.”

Bonnie gave him a slight smile and sat, Kol following diligently and still occupied by his game.  “Hi Mayor.”

“I noticed a few of your friends were missing from the assembly,” Rudy cut to the chase pretty quickly, making Bonnie roll her eyes.  “So much for the mandatory part, eh?”  His tone suggested that he was planning on a much more stern enforcement policy than Carol had had. 

Bonnie sighed and the smile dropped.  “Dad, stop.  You can’t come in here and start making rules like you’ve been here the whole time.”

“I think this town needs some rules,” Rudy warned lightly, confirming Bonnie’s assumptions.  His gaze was intense as he looked her over as to if classify each and every change in her since he’d been home last.

“Dad, you’re forgetting that I can help protect the town.”  Bonnie crossed her arms over the table and Kol looked up for the first time, intrigued to see how Rudy would react.

“I am well aware of your . . . gifts,” Rudy said and his nose crinkled a little distastefully.  Bonnie’s lips straightened into a thin, hard line.

“I’m Kol,” The Original introduced spontaneously and he smiled brilliantly – and falsely – at the witch’s dad.  “I’m a witch too.  So Bonnie has a little help with her self-proclaimed – and earned – right to protect the town.”

“Be that as it may, I’m your father,” Rudy told Bonnie.  “That means I get to protect you.”  He leveled a wary glance at Kol.  “And I already know who you are.  Sheriff Forbes said nothing about being a witch though; she told me that you’re one of the Original vampires.  Care to explain that?”

He could have cursed for his screw up.  Instead: “I’m a compulsive liar,” Kol blurted, “Can’t help myself.”  He shrugged.

Rudy nodded slowly.  “Good to know.”

“Come on, Kol, let’s get out of here,” Bonnie grumbled and stood.  She put a hand onto the vampire’s shoulder and dragged him after her, ignoring the trembling glasses on the tables and the bar.  As she stalked away from the Grill, Kol following after, she ranted.  “I don’t get him.  He _hates_ magic and he really hates me using it.  Now he says it’s a gift?  That’s why he _really_ travels all the night, you know.  He can’t handle that his daughter practices ‘the occult.’  It’s too weird for him.”

“There was a certain amount of disgust when he mentioned it,” Kol volunteered less than helpfully.  “He didn’t sound genuine at all.”

Bonnie ignored him.  “And now he wants to be a protective father?  No, not like this.”

“Don’t ask me about what fathers are supposed to be like,” Kol said lightly.  “I was never as good as Finn or Elijah, I wasn’t as much as a trouble maker as Klaus, I wasn’t his little angel like Bekah, and I wasn’t the baby like Henrik.  So really, I don’t think my father saw much use for me.”

“Guess Mystic Falls is the place for people with daddy issues,” Bonnie said wryly, but she’d calmed down a bit since her father was out of view.  She looked at Kol.  “Did Elijah text you back?”

“He’s bringing the grimoire personally,” Kol told her.  He’d received a text during the tennis match between father and daughter.  “He wants to make sure it doesn’t get stolen, the bloody control freak.”

“At least he said we could use it,” Bonnie told him and something in her grew lighter at the thought of looking at a brand new grimoire with untold secrets of the past.  Her whole body seemed to tingle in expectation and excitement.   They accidentally brushed Stephanie, who nodded at them and continued on her way to the Grill.

Steph was stopping by to get a drink, not quite ready to go to an empty house.  Caroline had gone home, eager to be alone and wallow about her ex-relationship, and Damon, Elena, and Jeremy were unlikely to return for days.  Steph seated herself at the bar and waved at Anna, who’d somehow managed to get to the bar and grill and into uniform in such a relatively short time.

“Hey,” The other girl greeted with a sigh.  “The usual?”

“Am I here that often?” Stephanie wondered wryly and Anna shrugged, so Steph thought that was probably Anna’s kind version of a ‘yes.’  “Yeah,” She agreed and Anna disappeared behind the counter for a moment.  Steph heard approaching footsteps and ignored them, but when it became clear they were heading for her, she turned.

“Is this seat taken?”  It was two young women, pale and dark haired, and definitely not anyone that she knew from Mystic Falls or otherwise.  There was something off about them, but it wasn’t physically noticeable.  Steph tapped her fingers on the bar, letting her ring click on the hard surface, which attracted the younger’s attention.

“Nah,” She said finally.  Better to find out what these newcomers wanted sooner rather than later.  “It’s open.”

The women smiled gratefully and sat on either side of Steph, boxing her in and raising her hackles.  “You look a little young to be drinking,” The elder of the two women said with a hint of motherly concern.  “How old are you, sweetie?”

“Old enough,” Stephanie assured them and Anna returned with her tumbler.  “Thanks, Anna.”

The former vampire glanced at the women with a critical eye.  “No problem.  If you need anything else, I’ll be in the back.  Matt’s coming out for his shift,” Which meant that she was suspicious of their newcomers as well, and so Steph nodded; she’d tell one of them if the patrons in the Grill were in danger.

“So, did you just move to Mystic Falls?” Stephanie inquired.  She took a sip of her drink and eyed the ladies.  The elder looked to be in her early thirties, while the other looked to be no more than 21 or 22 years old.  There was an air of _something_ that clung to them, indicating that despite their young age, they’d been through a lot of pain.  Their eyes were older than their faces.

“No,” The elder spoke again with a light smile.  “We’re just visiting.  I’m Jane and this is my sister, Sophie.”

“Family live here?”  Random visitors in Mystic Falls were rare, and ones that looked as ragged and determined as these two were usually up to no good.

“Just some old friends that we’re hoping to catch up with.”  Sophie folded her hands onto the bar and leveled Stephanie with her deeply disconcerting gaze.  “Do you know Klaus Mikaelson?”

“Not personally, no,” Stephanie lied easily.  She made a vague hand motion out the Grill doors.  “He lives in one of the mansions at the edge of town and is a bit of a recluse, if you know what I mean.  Great artist, though.  His pieces have been showcased during many of our charity events throughout the year.  Just recently he had a piece on post-modernism at the Winter Wonderland themed event.”  She added, “It was very pretty.”

 Jane and Sophie exchanged glances.  “Hm, I don’t think he was an artist when he last saw him,” Jane said thoughtfully.

Stephanie nodded slowly and threw back her drink and left a twenty on the table for Anna or Matt to pick up.  “I’ve got to go, actually.  My friend is having some problems with a break up.”

“Bye,” Jane said cheerily and she waved.  “Hope your friend is okay.”  Stephanie left them at the bar, but she turned her hearing to focus on their conversation.  Maybe they’d reveal something when they thought she was out of hearing range.

“Was that her?”  Sophie whispered. 

“Yes, the Ripper,” Jane swiftly replied.  Stephanie felt her brows furrow; maybe she’d hurt someone from their family during one of her Ripper binges and they’d come calling for revenge.  But they’d asked after Klaus as well . . . why not just ask for her?  They picked up their things from the bar and Steph realized they were preparing to follow her out.  She ducked into the alley next to the Grill, blocked out her unpleasant memories of the place, and waited.  Jane and Sophie found her moments later, looking unsurprised.

“You’re smart, Miss Salvatore,” Jane said.  “How’d you know we were looking for you?”

Steph just tapped her ear.  “Why ask about Klaus?”

“We wanted to make sure he was still in town,” Jane admitted.  “We need you both for something important to us and to our family.”

Stephanie arched her brow.  “Oh?”

“Yes.  Now, this won’t hurt a bit,” Sophie promised and she pulled out a bag of what looked like dust, and poured it into her hand.  Stephanie unlocked her muscles, but before she could blur away, Sophie had blown the dust straight into the vampire’s face.  Steph blinked rapidly in surprise.  Her legs turned to jello and she staggered into the brick alley wall.

“What did you do me?” She slurred.  She felt very . . . off balance. 

“Just a little thing until we’ve gotten what we wanted.”  Jane and Sophie were walking towards her, but they seemed to be coming from different angles.  Maybe that was the magic working; everything was looking fuzzy and their voices sounded like they were coming from a tunnel.  “Don’t worry.  You won’t remember this at all.”  Then her vision went black.

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.

.

“Right, so, how’s that urge to kill me going?”

Jeremy breathed through his nose and glanced up at Damon through his long brown eyelashes.  “I want to rip out your heart and toss it into the lake and then burn your body and spread the ashes.”

“Sounds like improvement to me!”  Damon smirked.

“Damon, you’re not helping,” Elena sighed and she rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. 

“But it’s really an improvement,” Damon argued and threw a hand at Jeremy, who stood next to the wood picnic table.  “Before, he wanted to mutilate my body first.  Now he just wants to kill me without the torture.  That,” he pointed out, “is something I’ll call progress.”  The vampires and the Hunter heard the crunch of tire on gravel, and turned their heads to see the pizza delivery girl arriving.  Again.

“Really?” Damon demanded as the girl stepped out of the truck with a pizza in hand.  “Really, Jeremy?”

“Gotta eat,” Jeremy said unapologetically as he stepped forward to pay for the pizza.  “And there’s nothing else here.”

“Here’s your double pepperoni pizza . . . for the third day in a row,” The girl said cheerily and she exchanged the pizza for her money.

“Keep the tip,” Jeremy urged.  He opened the box and was already eating a slice as the girl returned to her car.

“Don’t come back for a few days!”  Damon hollered.  Elena walked over to her brother guiltily and placed a hand onto his shoulder.  He stiffened and his eyes met hers.  A few tense seconds passed and he relaxed minimally.

“I’m sorry, Jere.”  She squeezed his shoulder affectionately.  “I’ll go into town and get some stuff from the store so you won’t have to eat pizza anymore.  I’m so sorry we didn’t think of it earlier.  I guess it’s a vampire thing.”

Jeremy smiled.  “No biggie.”

Elena returned the cheer with a sunny grin.  “Alright.  I’ll be back soon.”  She gave Damon a significant look and pointed at him sternly.  “Don’t go too hard on him while I’m gone, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.  Be nice.”  She addressed both boys, “And behave.”  She patted Jeremy’s shoulder and kissed Damon in the corner of his mouth.  Elena reached into his back pocket, making a smirk curl Damon’s lips, but she was only retrieving his car keys, which she dangled in front of his face.

“Be careful with my baby,” He warned.

“I’ll try,” Elena sang and danced away from his wandering hands.  “I’ll be back soon.”

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.

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Stephanie blinked.  She was standing in front of the Grill and she remembered being at the bar just a moment ago, but she felt like she was missing time . . . she felt otherwise unharmed, though a little queasy, which was an odd sensation for a vampire to have at all.  She ran her hands over her person, checking for injury but found nothing out of the ordinary.  She still had her phone and her wallet, but closer observation revealed that her jacket was gone.

“Who the hell would steal my jacket and not my phone?” She muttered.  A better question was how someone could have stolen from Stephanie – a vampire – at all.  Steph ran a hand through her hair and looked back at the front door and remembered the strange women and their odd questions about her and Klaus.  She thought she’d pay him a visit and ask him a few question – relating to the women and the pressing urge to discuss his clear motives for stopping his search for the Cure.

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“So, I’ve done some digging,” Rebekah drawled, “and it seems that the hunt for the Cure has ceased.  Care to tell me why?”  She’d run around Mystic Falls and did some snooping with Faye’s help, and they’d found out quite a bit of information from a few interesting sources.  The only thing they couldn’t find out, it seemed was _why_ the Mystic Fall’s Scooby gang had quit their search for the vampire cure.  “Tell me the truth or Faye will fry your brains out.”  As if to prove that she would, Faye grinned and wiggled her fingers and in the spaces between them, energy crackled. 

The hair on Caroline’s arms stood up, and she crossed her them.  “This is the third time I’ve been taken hostage in as many days and it’s getting really old, Rebekah.”  They’d found Caroline alone at home and they’d snatched her up and taken her to a private part of town where no one was likely to look: the Lockwood’s cellar.  It was all over town that the mayor had passed and her son was nowhere to be seen.

“Tell us what we want to know, and we’ll let you go,” Rebekah informed her airily.  She examined her nails.  “Or else it’s going to be a very long afternoon.  So talk.” 

Caroline sighed loudly and banged her head against the stone walls.  Her huff of exasperation echoed.  “Fine, okay?  We stopped looking for the Cure because there no one wants to take it anymore.  And, well, we were kind of persuaded.”

“By who?”

“Kol said that to get the Cure, you have to wake up Silas, and then he’ll bring down the veil.  It’s actually really complicated and I don’t know all the details,” Caroline admitted.  “I’m not a great person to ask.  Stephanie knows more.  Or your brothers.  Your brothers would definitely know.”

“Silas is like the boogie man!”  Rebekah was incredulous.  “He’s not real!  You gave up your search for that?”  She put her manicured hands onto her hips and hovered threateningly over the baby vampire.

“Kol and then apparently Shane were pretty convincing,” Caroline argued.  “We didn’t want to risk and no one wanted the Cure bad enough for that.  Except Klaus.”

“Why isn’t Klaus searching for it then?” Rebekah demanded sharply.  “And Shane’s the professor, right?”

“Shane’s the professor,” Caroline confirmed, and then added, “And Klaus stopped looking for it because he changed his mind for some reason.” She threw her hands up into the air.  “I don’t know everything.  Ask _him_!”

Rebekah spun on her heel, disgusted.  “You’re useless.  Come on, Faye.  Leave _her_ here.”

“Sure thing,” Faye drawled in her smoky voice.  She winked at Caroline and walked after the blonde Original, swaying her hips.  Caroline flashed away quickly, no doubt about to warn her friends of their little meeting.  “So what do you want to do now?”

“The little Gilbert is the Hunter, so we’ll need him,” Rebekah began to list, “we have our witch.” Here, she gave Faye an appreciative look and the witch smirked.   “We’ll need to swipe the sword from Klaus when he’s busy, and then we’ll need that blasted headstone, wherever the hell that is.”

“Might be with the Hunter,” Faye suggested.  “We heard quite a bit about that Shane guy though.  That kid said he had it during their school occult presentation.”

“We’ll check with the Hunter, who’s at the Gilbert’s lake house.”  Rebekah nodded to herself and she grinned.  “Thanks, love.”

“Looks like this’ll be easier than you thought,” Faye teased.  “No need to worry at all.”

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“Brother.”

Kol glanced up and stepped off the Bennett porch.  “Elijah!  Glad you could make it.”  He spied the thick book in the other’s hands and anticipation rose in his belly.  “Thanks for bringing that with you.”

Elijah looked over Kol suspiciously.  “I’m still not sure what I’m doing is . . . wise.”

“You’re helping out a witch,” Kol badgered.  “That’s good and noble and everything you stand for, yes?  Come on, just hand it over.”  He made a gimme gesture with his hand and took another step forward eagerly. 

Elijah pursed his lips, but extended the grimoire he’d brought.  “Be careful and please return it when you’re finished.”

“Of course.”  Kol rolled his eyes.  “It’s not like I’m going to lose it.”  He took the book from Elijah’s hands with more respect and reverence he awarded to anything in life and pulled it close.  “Thank you,” He repeated more genuinely. 

Elijah quirked his lips and inclined his head.  “You’re welcome.  Have you heard from Finn recently?”

“Nope,” Kol popped the ‘p.’  “Been gone for a while with no word.  I think Rebekah’s in town though, and you know Klaus is here.”  Elijah nodded thoughtfully.

“I might them a visit.  Goodbye, brother.”  He looked at Kol and said frankly, “And do try to stay out of trouble.”  He disappeared into thin air, and Kol smirked to the spot where he’d stood just a moment before.

“No promises.”  Then he headed back to Bonnie, whistling jauntily. 

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.

.

Stephanie found Klaus in the mansion that he occasionally shared with Kol when the other Original was home and not bothering Bonnie or at school.  He was in his art room, which Stephanie knew from their past and present experiences was the place he went at any hour of the day.  He was focused on a blank canvas, the paint arranged and at his fingertips, the paint brush held in his hand, but he was just . . . staring, which Stephanie supposed could be symbolic for something.  He’d gotten rid of the suit he’d worn for the Winter Wonderland charity event, and was in casual trousers and a forest green sweater.  Absently, she thought his curly hair could use a trim.  She shook her head to get rid of the errant thought.

“I don’t get you.”  She finally announced her presence, but she knew that he’d have sensed her a while ago, just waiting for her to say something.  She stepped farther into the room and slowly walked to Klaus’ side and looked at the blank canvas.  “You say you love me, but you compel me.  You despise the people in town, yet you make art to raise money their charity events.  You let the Cure go, but you kill Carol Lockwood.”

“You figured it out about Carol, did you?”  Klaus voice was smooth as silk.  He didn’t turn his attention away from the canvas.

“Your reflection tactics could use some work,” She said smoothly.

Klaus shrugged.  “Your point?”

“You’re so full of contradictions,” Stephanie mused.  “You’re passionate about everything you do.  And there’s a reason for everything too, and even if they seem to be contradictory, they’re not in your own mind because you’ve thought about it and rationalized it in some convoluted, Klaus-way.”

“I repeat,” Klaus asked wryly, “your point is?”  Despite his nonchalant tone, his hands – slender, pale fingers – tightened around the paint brush.

“I’m admitting that I’m confused.”

“About?”

“ _You_ , you dick.”  Stephanie rolled her eyes in exasperation, and then turned serious.  “You know, everyone sees me and the Ripper as too separate people.  But they’re not.”  Klaus arched one brow, interested and he turned his body to face her.  “The Ripper is a part of me; there is no Ripper without Stephanie Salvatore.  And, as much as it pains me to admit, there is no Stephanie Salvatore without the Ripper someone inside.  So, it goes to point that your different parts – murderer Klaus and compassionate, artist Klaus – are the same too.  And I can’t seem to reconcile that.”  She raised an arm hesitantly and trailed her fingers down the side of his face curiously, as if she could force her conceptions of him into something that made sense. 

“I’ve been a little confused too, actually,” Klaus told her and Stephanie tilted her head in surprise.  Her fingers remained on his defined cheek bones, barely grazing the skin.  “I seemed to have thought the Ripper and Stephanie Salvatore are two different people as well.  But they’re not and I . . . am getting used to that.  And I like . . . it.

“I love you,” Klaus told her.  “And I am willing to wait for you to be able to reconcile my different parts, as long as it takes.  Because I’ve just began to reconcile _your_ different parts.  Because I’ve realized that I love all of you, and not just the Ripper.  Because one day you’re going to get tired of playing the high school girl . . . you’ll realize that playing human isn’t the only thing you want out of this existence.”  He put a gentle hand on her cheek.  “And you’ll realize that I’m one of the things that you’ve wanted all along.  That I’ve been here since that first meeting at the party in New York and that I’ve loved you since I laid eyes on you.”

Stephanie surged upwards and kissed him on the mouth, and Klaus returned the affection greedily.  His hands fell to her lower back and pulled her closer to his body, and she combed her fingers through his hair.  They stumbled out of the art room and up the stairs with half vampire speed, fingers tearing and clawing off clothes.  Klaus kicked open his broom door with his heel and they staggered over to his bed.

Stephanie broke the kiss and laid her head on his shoulder and Klaus continued to kiss her neck.  “This is – this is just –”

“Temporary,” Klaus supplied, “with no feelings on your part required until you figure out what you want.”

“Just sex, basically,” Stephanie agreed and gasped as Klaus’ fangs slipped into her jugular.  She felt the burn of his werewolf venom in her veins that tempered with the pleasure of having melted thoughts.

“Until you reconcile the mass murdering me with the one that draws pretty pictures,” Klaus gasped out as Stephanie bit into Klaus’ shoulder.  Her nails scratched down his back as they fell onto his bed.

“Right,” Steph nodded and then she dove back into kiss Klaus with her bloody lips.

.

.

“I’m sorry to say, but we’ll need to split up,” Rebekah said with a small pout.  “I’ll retrieve the sword from Klaus –”

“And I’ll grab the kid and the headstone from the Gilbert lake house,” Faye finished.  “We’ll finish faster and then be on the road.  I know of a few good vampire bars that we’ll be able to use to further the mark when we’ve got everything.”  They were hiding out at the Lockwood cellar again, a map spread between them on its dirt floor.

“We’ll meet up just on the outskirts of town, here,” Rebekah pointed down at a small location on the map.  “Try to be there as soon as possible, because as soon as everyone realizes what we’re doing, hell will break loose.  We’ll be lucky if Caroline doesn’t tell the entire town of our arrival.”  She folded up the map and gave it to Faye.

Faye grinned.  “It’ll all work out.  You’ll see.”

Rebekah returned the smile a little shyly.  “Then we’ll have our happy ever after.”  She kissed Faye’s cheek and disappeared, leaving Faye with directions to a lake house and a hijacked, hotwired car.  The witch left the cellar and hopped into the vehicle sitting in the Lockwood’s driveway, and started it up.

“This’ll be fun,” She remarked to herself.  Faye followed the directions to letter, occasionally looking at the map and more than once did a locator spell on the article of clothing they had from one of the Gilberts.  It wasn’t a particularly long drive and Faye made very good time.

When she arrived at the lake house, she found no car in the driveway or garage and saw that Damon and the Hunter, Jeremy Gilbert, were in the front yard, doing some kind of exercises.  “This is too easy,” Faye muttered as she stepped out of the car.  The noise of the car had alerted Damon of a visitor and he glanced up.  Faye waved.

“The hell are you doing here?” He sounded genuinely befuddled.  His face was scrunched up and lips puckered.  “Weren’t you with your sisterhood of witches or whatever?”

“It’s called a coven,” Faye drawled.  “And I’ve taken a vacation.”  She lifted her hand and Damon’s face lost its color as he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

“What did you do to him?” Jeremy demanded and he fingered the stake in his hands. 

“That’s not going to do me in,” Faye remarked as he looked at the stake in his hands.  “Damon will be just fine; he’ll just wake up with a headache.  Now, don’t move.”  She murmured an incantation and Jeremy became a stiff as a board.  There was fire in his eyes as they tracked Faye’s movement into the house.  She searched the place top to bottom, and spotted the object of her desires in a duffle bag full of Hunter related research.  “Jackpot.”  Faye picked up the entire duffle and slung it over her back, carrying it with her as she went to retrieve the stray Hunter in the front yard.  “Come along,” She waved, and Jeremy’s body moved without its consent.  She put the bag in the passenger seat and shoved Jeremy into the back, slamming the door behind her.  “Get comfy!”  Faye called.  “It’s going to be a long ride for you.”

She could feel the daggers he was glaring into the back of her head.

.

.

.

Rebekah slipped out of her brother’s large mansion, sword in hand, and she was grinning from ear to ear.  She’d found the silly thing in Klaus’ vault and managed to go completely unnoticed on account, she figured, of the loud noises coming from his bedroom.  Her phone buzzed on her back pocket, and the blonde Original flashed far enough away so that she could relax a little.

GOT HUNTER, MEET AT BEACON BAR.

“Can do, sweetheart,” Rebekah murmured to herself.  The Beacon Bar was a supernatural hot spot just out of Virginia that would be full of werewolves, rogue witches, and most importantly, _vampires_. 

It was the perfect place to start growing Jeremy Gilbert’s mark, and the next step to finding the Cure.

.

.

.

tbc

 


	10. i'm gonna tell the gravedigger that he better dig two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Go tell that long tongue liar  
> Go and tell that midnight rider  
> Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter  
> Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down  
> Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.”

_._

“Where the hell are we?”  Jeremy’s arms were constricted behind his back, wrists bruising beneath the pressure of Rebekah’s vampire strength.  The smoky atmosphere of the bar they’d taken him to made Jeremy want to choke; the air was so thick that he couldn’t see much besides the strobe lights reflected off of the fog and creeping colored smoke.  The bass was thrumming through the walls and floor, vibrating up his body and making his heart beat just a little bit faster.  Jeremy could hear tinkling glasses at the bar somewhere to his left, and the soft crinkling of fabric brushing up against skin on his other side as people grinded next to each other on the dance floor.

“It’s Beacon Bar,” Faye’s throaty voice came from Rebekah’s side.  She sent him an amused glance.  “It has a terrible name, but it’s a pretty good place to go if you want to spend some time with the supernatural underground.  You learn all kinds of things in a place like this.”  She winked.

“It’s also the perfect spot to begin growing your Hunter’s Mark.”  Jeremy could feel Rebekah trembling with excitement behind him.  Her nails dug into his wrists and he felt the sharp prick of pain that always preluded the flow of blood.

“What are you doing?” Jeremy hissed.  He struggled in her grasp, but Rebekah just tightened her hold on his wriggling body.

“Drawing them to us,” She whispered into his ear and Jeremy shuddered at the feeling of her breath on his face.  Jeremy craned his neck a little and saw that Rebekah had said the magic words; several interested parties began peeping at them and sniffing the air in an animalistic way that made that hunter part of him quiver in anticipation of a kill.  “Are you ready, little Gilbert?”

“If I’m not?” He asked tightly and forced his eyes upwards.

“Then we go back and I kill your sister and her boyfriend.  And then I’ll kill Matt Donovan and Anna, and then April . . . shall I go on?”  A knot formed in the pit of Jeremy’s stomach.  “Do we understand each other?”

“Perfectly,” Jeremy said.  He ground his teeth in frustration as Rebekah pushed him forward and then slipped a small wooden stake into his hand.

“Let loose and don’t disappoint me.”  Jeremy couldn’t ignore the adrenaline that flooded his veins, and could not deny the smile that crawled onto his face at the challenge of killing every vampire in that bar.  He licked his lips and took a small step.  And then another. 

Everything went kind of hazy and he felt like he was in a dream as he engaged the vampires in the bar in a several small fights, and he didn’t wake up until every vampire was dead, and dust and ash rested on his skin and shimmered in the club’s fog and lights.  His fingers began to tingle and the sensation grew up his wrist.  Jeremy looked down and his lips formed a tiny ‘o’ as the Hunter’s Mark grew before his very eyes.  Parts of his skin darkened and turned into the forest green color than had marked Connor’s, and the winding roads and loops of the tattoo rapidly grew up and up and up.

“Looks like we still have a few more vampires to kill,” Rebekah mused, and this time Jeremy didn’t resist as she led him to the car.

.

.

.

Phantom hands and kisses ghosted over her body, a leftover sensation from their night together, and his mouth was still on her neck, lazily pulling blood from her body as their minds touched each other in every way possible.  He didn’t hide his love that morning, letting it wash over Stephanie, mostly to reassure her that he hadn’t lied to her the night before, and it wrapped around her thoughts and heart and squeezed tightly.  Stephanie’s hand floated over the blankets, searching for Klaus, whose hand was rested on her hip and drawing circles with his fingers there.  She touched his hand there, laced her fingers into his, and pulled them up to hover over the naked skin on her heart.

Klaus disengaged his fangs from her jugular and his tongue licked the blood there.  Black veins containing his werewolf venom were rapidly spreading down her shoulder and across her breasts, and she bit into his wrist and let his blood flow into her mouth.  As quickly as the infection in her system had grown, it disappeared as the antidote flooded her system.  Her body was reenergizing with the fix of hybrid blood and she opened her forest green eyes for the first time that morning.

“Good morning, love.”  Klaus’ voice was husky.  “Sleep well?”

“Do you remember sleeping?” She mumbled as she released his wrist and curled into her pillow.  “Because I don’t.”

 His throaty chuckle sent pleasant shivers down Steph’s spine.  “Well, I’m sorry to have kept you up.”  He pressed his lips into her shoulder.

“I’m not.”  Stephanie felt Klaus’ lips turn up into a smirk and turned and flipped them so she was sitting on top of Klaus’ hips.  He arched his brows and folded his arms behind his head.

“Oh?”  Her eyes darkened and she darted into and bite the space between his neck and shoulder and Klaus arched up off the bed.  “Bloody hell,” Klaus cursed and his pretty blue eyes rolled up.

Stephanie’s phone rang.  She disengaged her teeth from his flesh and she slipped out of the bed, to Klaus’ consternation.  Steph searched the room for her pants, found them by the door, and rooted around her pockets until she located her cell phone.  “Hello?”

“We have a serious problem.”

“Damon?” Stephanie asked sharply and Klaus rolled his eyes in aggravation in the bed.  She turned her back on the hybrid.  “What’s the matter?”

“Jeremy’s disappeared,” Her brother said grimly.  “Faye came and took him while Elena was at the store, and we have _no_ idea where they went.”  In the background, there was a the sound of something shattering.

“I’ll be right there,” Stephanie reassured and she spun around to search for her clothes.  “When did they vanish?”

“Yesterday evening,” Damon growled and Stephanie heard rustling in the background as he threw something else.  “She gave me some kind of witchy roofie and knocked me out for hours.  Elena found me out and Jeremy gone and freaked for a while before figuring out how to wake me up.”

“Maybe Bonnie can help us find them with a locator spell,” She suggested as she shrugged into her panties and jeans.  She looked around for her shoes.

“That’s probably our only chance of finding them.  Where are you, anyway?  Elena and I came home and you weren’t here.”

“Out,” Stephanie murmured as her eyes scanned the floor.

“’Out?’” Damon questioned slyly, tone changing from concern to sleaziness like a light switch.  “Who’s the lucky guy?  And can I congratulate you on moving on from killer blonds?”  Klaus smirked on the bed, showing all of his teeth, and Stephanie shot him a dirty look.

“It wasn’t _that_ kind of out and we’re not talking about this,” Stephanie said tightly.  “I’ll see you soon.”  She hung up her phone and slipped it into her pocket.  “Where’s my shirt?”

“On the stairwell bannister,” Klaus drawled. 

“We’re not telling anyone about this,” Stephanie warned him as she darted out of the room.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love!”

.

.

.

Many things were said about Katherine Pierce.  Things like, but not limited to: liar, manipulative, bitch, and evil . . . crazy, selfish . . . but really, Katherine just considered herself a survivor.  She’d spent five hundred years running from a psychotic Original, and so she’d had to adapt to survive.  And if that meant she lost the innocent little girl who’d had her daughter ruthlessly ripped from her arms after birthing that baby, Katherine had been prepared for that.  But no more running, she’d decided.  She was going to get that Cure and shove it down Klaus’ throat; then she’d find a way to make sure all of Klaus’ enemies got wind of it and sit back and watch the show as Klaus became the hunted once more.  Katherine would be free and Klaus helpless.

Executing her plan was easy; all she _really_ needed to do was follow Rebekah, her girlfriend and Jeremy Gilbert as they trekked through city after city mowing down vampire and vampire to make the little hunter’s mark grow.  She kept her distance so that they didn’t detect her, but close enough to determine that Rebekah was efficient in choosing their hunting grounds; it was less than twenty four hours after they’d abducted Jeremy, but already the mark was growing over his shoulder and across his chest.

Rebekah had the sword and with her and her little group’s combined efforts, they were able to sketch out the map on the boy’s body and decipher it as they went along.

Katherine just had to sit back and wait, then.

.

.

.

“Is this the walk of shame?” Damon asked with a far too amused smile on his face.  Elena ignored him and reached out to hug Stephanie as the shorter vampire stepped into boarding house’s living room.  “Serious, who’s the lucky guy?”

“What guy?” Caroline asked curiously, appearing from the kitchen with a blood bag in hand.

“Not the time,” Stephanie snapped over Elena’s shoulder.  She rubbed her friend’s back consolingly.  “Have you called Bonnie?” She asked softly.  Elena nodded into Steph’s shoulder and sniffled a little.  She released her and took a step back and checked her phone’s screen, and from the way Damon rolled his eyes, it must have been the hundredth time.

“We only left five messages,” Caroline deadpanned as she crinkled up the empty bag and tossed it into the kitchen’s trash bag.  She ran a hand through her messy blonde curls and then crossed her arms.

“Did someone summon us?” 

“Aw, hell,” Damon sighed.  The group turned their heads to greet Bonnie and Kol as they strolled into the living room.  Bonnie made a straight shot towards Elena and Steph and she collected her best friend into a tight embrace.  Caroline made a noise and joined them.

Damon and Kol stood next to each other awkwardly.  Kol’s eyes ran over the girls’ hugging bodies and he made an appreciative sound, much to Damon’s consternation.  “Hey,” He grouched.  “Eyes up here.”

“Let’s do a locator spell,” Bonnie said firmly.  “Elena?”

“Of course,” Elena nodded and she spun around, hands searching the couch.  She pulled a sketch book off the cushions and proffered it to Bonnie.  “He doesn’t draw much anymore, but this means a lot to him.”

“Of course,” Bonnie said softly.  “Okay.  I need you guys to step back.”  Steph nodded and took Caroline and Elena’s elbows and pulled them to stand over next to the two guys, where they all stood and waited for Bonnie’s magic.  Kol eyed his friend as she raised her hands over the book and a concerned indentation formed between his eyes.  Wind stirred the dust in the room as Bonnie’s low chanting began.  She looked up, frustrated, a few moments later.  “Nothing,” She growled.

“I can help,” Kol offered and took a step forward.

“No,” Bonnie snapped and the Original suddenly found himself frozen in place by a wordless spell.  His limbs were locked into place, tense and stiff.

“Bonnie-” He started, but she glared and his mouth shut without his violation.    He glared at her and wished he could curl his lip into a snarl, but not even his facial muscles would do that.

“No,” She repeated, firmer.  “I can do this myself.”  She looked back down at the book and focused.  Then the whites of her eyes made her irises and pupils seem to melt away as both of her eyeballs turned completely white.  Tree branches tapped on the windows.

“Is it just me, or his Judgy getting creepier and creepier?” Damon whispered.  Stephanie’s lips were pressed into a fine line, clearly in agreement, and Caroline nervously bit her nails.

“She’s just focused, is all,” Elena denied fiercely.  “Bonnie’s fine.”

“Right,” Damon muttered, but refused to say anything else.  Stephanie glanced at him.  His attention was divided between Elena and Bonnie, and it was clear that he was concerned; his forehead was wrinkled and his arms crossed defensively, and she could tell he was fighting the urge to grab Elena and just hold her to his chest.

Steph’s phone vibrated in her pocket, so she stepped away from her friends and took it out.  “Now’s not the time.”

“The sword is missing,” Klaus’ voice carried from the other end of the connection.  “Someone stole it last night.”

Stephanie bit her lip to keep from cursing. 

“Found him!” Bonnie announced.  “He’s . . .” She pulled out a map and pointed.  “Here, on this island.  It’s a few miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.  We need to leave immediately.”

“Stephanie?  What’s happening?” Klaus demanded.

“Someone kidnapped Jeremy too,” She said slowly.  “So they’re after the Cure.”

“Bloody hell.  Who else wants the stupid thing?”

“Who are you talking to?” Damon asked.  “We need to hit the road, like, now.”

“Someone stole the sword from Klaus,” Stephanie hissed.  “They’re after the Cure.”

Damon turned his head and glanced at Caroline, who waved her fingers sheepishly.  “Did I forget to mention that Rebekah kidnapped Caroline for five minutes yesterday?  Must have slipped my mind when you came in from your walk of shame.”

“Meet us at the boarding house,” Stephanie told Klaus and she glared at her brother.  “We’re going to go find them, and you’re the only one strong enough to take on Rebekah.  She’s the one who did it.”

“What?” He asked, but Steph hung up the phone.

“Why didn’t someone tell me this earlier?” Stephanie threw out her arms.  “That was kind of important!”

“Why did you invite Klaus to go with us?” Damon asked accusingly. 

“Because he can dagger her!”  Stephanie snapped.  “Or maybe talk some sense into her.  God, Damon.”  She ran a hand through her hair.  “Caroline, could you stay here and keep an eye on everyone in town?  If they wake up Silas and he gets off that island, who knows where he’s going to go.”

Caroline nodded her head determinedly.  “I can definitely do that.”

“Okay.”  Stephanie nodded.  “Let’s get together some things.  Bonnie, do you think you’ll need to bring anything?”

“Maybe a grimoire or two,” She hedged.  She glanced at Kol and blinked, making his binds melt away.  He jerked suddenly and took several steps around the boarding house.

“Bloody hell, don’t do that again,” He breathed as he began to rub the feeling back into his arms.

“Let’s get those grimoires,” Bonnie said blithely as she strode past him.  “Then we can be on our way as soon as Klaus gets here.”  She made a face when she said his older brother’s name, showing how very clear she stood on her distasteful for him.  Bonnie and Kol disappeared out the door, quickly followed by Caroline, who planned on warning their human friends about the new events.  Stephanie turned back to Elena, who was holding her arms around herself.

“We’re going to save him,” Stephanie said to her.  She hugged her friend again.  “Okay?  We all love Jeremy.”  Her heartstrings tugged at his name.  She wasn’t in love with him anymore, Steph realized, but he was her best friend’s brother, and her own friend aside.  “We’ll all we can to rescue him.”

Elena nodded and Damon took her into his arms and they settled in to wait together.  “I’ll get some coats and things,” Stephanie said quietly, and let the couple whisper reassurances to each other.  It would be a long couple of days.

.

.

.

Jeremy’s skin itched.

Rebekah’s blonde hair brushed his face as she turned her head, and Faye’s voice called to them from ahead.  Jeremy focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  Left.  Right.  Left.  Vampires.  Stakes.  Hearts.  Tattoos. 

“I’ve found something interesting.”  Faye’s voice was smoky and alluring, even when she sounded confused or scared.  “You’ll want to see this.”  Jeremy’s ears were exceptionally perceptive now and he heard the crinkle of paper as she folded up their map.  The sword made a sharp clinging noise as it brushed by her keys from its place in a homemade sword holster. 

“Come on, little Gilbert.”  Rebekah’s hand felt like fire on his arm; it was like her fingers were burning holes through the fabric of his thick jacket.  His skin itched.  “Let’s go see what Faye’s stumbled upon.”  She pulled Jeremy with her as they trudged through the underbrush and found Faye staring up at something in the trees.  “What is it, Faye?”  Rebekah squinted.

“There’s a man stuck in a net,” Faye explained.  Jeremy looked up.  Indeed, there was a man tangled in a rope net, hanging from the trees.  “Hey!”  The man jerked.

“What?  Get me down!”  He shouted and twisted his body around in the net.  “Get me the hell down!”  He had an Irish accent and sounded increasingly angry and frustrated.  “Do you know how long I’ve been up here?  For hours!”

“What’s in it for us?” Rebekah called up.

“I know where Silas is!”

“Silas is a children’s take,” Rebekah scoffed.  “We’re just after the Cure.  Come on, Faye.  We’ll leave him there to rot.”

“No,” Jeremy said suddenly.  His skin itched and tingled.  “We have to let him go or I won’t help you.”

“We already have our map,” Rebekah drawled.  “Really, we don’t need you so much anymore either.”

“What if you need me to open the gate or whatever seal is on the Cure?” Jeremy said suddenly.  He had no idea what the needed to do to get to the Cure, but he would play all of the cards he had in that moment.  There was something about this man that was so familiar to him, but Jeremy couldn’t name it the reason why.

Rebekah looked at him curiously, tilting her head.  “Fine.  Faye?”

“You sure?  Because I can probably do the spell without him.”  She jerked her head towards Jeremy.  “He’s practically dead weight now.”

“You never know, and I won’t risk my chances on getting that Cure,” Rebekah said tightly.  “So, will you get that man down?”  Faye grumbled, but flicked out her fingers; the top of the rope burned and sizzled, sending off sparks.  Seconds later, the man began to plummet to the ground.  Jeremy’s body moved before his mind did; he ran as quickly as he could and stood beneath the tree that had held the man, and caught him before he hit the ground.  Their skin tingled when they touched, and Jeremy set the other down.

“You’re a hunter,” Jeremy breathed nearly silently.

“Name’s Vaughn,” The other hunter said with a grimace.  He brushed off his pants and shirt.  “Been up there a while now.”  He had dark blond hair and wore something that someone would wear when they went . . . hunting.

“If you’re a hunter, what are you doing on this island?” Rebekah demanded.  She’d heard them.  Of course.  She strode over to the hunters and Faye eyed them with a wary glint in her irises.  “You need the sword to decode the map.”

“My tattoos only finished in the night,” Vaughn said, “even though I’ve been hunting for my entire life.  Curious, isn’t it?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Rebekah snapped.

“Rebekah,” Faye called.  “Forget about him.  We’ll tie him up or something and bring him with us, but we need to go.  I can feel . . . interference, maybe.  I feel something and it doesn’t seem good.”

“Bonnie,” Jeremy breathed and Rebekah cursed.

“Are they on the island?” She demanded.

Faye shrugged.  “I can’t tell.  Maybe they’re just close.  But we should go, anyway.  I’ll spell him up.”  She wiggled her fingers and whispered something.  Vaughn’s body locked except for his legs, and they tied his wrists together so that they could lead him. 

“Let’s keep moving,” Rebekah announced when that was done. “I want to be human by nightfall at the latest.”  She side-eyed Vaughn.  “And you will tell us how you got here one way or another, hunter.”

“We’ll see,” He whispered through stiff lips.  Together, the four continued to follow the map through the tricky forest.  Jeremy tried to trail a little so that he could talk to Vaughn, but Rebekah kept shoving him ahead of her so that he would stand by Faye.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” She told him.  “Stay where we can see you.”  Jeremy pressed his lips together and straightened his shoulders, but did not try and talk to Vaughn again.

“This looks like the wishing well that the professor wrote about in his notes,” Faye called back.  We’ve got to go down there and . . . spill blood.”

“Sounds fun,” Rebekah replied.  She pulled the hunters along with her and jumped down into the dark, cavernous “wishing well.”  She dropped her charges and returned for her girlfriend.  “Ready, love?”

Faye smirked.  “As I’ll ever be.”  She wrapped her arms around Rebekah’s middle and they jumped down to meet the hunters.  Faye released Rebekah and she pressed the tip of the sword into the palm of her head.  Blood tripped down onto the stone floor.

“Now what?” Rebekah drawled.

“We’re standing on top of a perfectly geometric circle,” Faye said after a moment of observation.  “So this is where the next step happens.  I need a hunter.”

“Alright, little Gilbert.”  Rebekah shoved Jeremy forward and he stumbled on the cave floor.  He picked himself up and walked stiffly over to a waiting Faye.

“According the Shane guy,” The witch said, nodding to the papers and notebooks and the tombstone, “I need to cast a spell on your tattoo.  So take off your clothes.  Now.”  Jeremy stood there, uncomfortable and angry, but eventually stripped off his jacket and shirt.  He shivered in the cold and Faye rested her right palm onto the part of the tattoo that covered his shoulder.  She took a deep breath and then she started to murmur.  Slowly, the tattoo, made visible by the completion of the mark, began to disappear.  Rocks fell and the earth shook, making the other occupants grab onto the walls of the cave for balance.

Then everything settled.

“You did it,” Rebekah said, awed.  Her blue eyes grew wide as they took in the entrance that had formed in front of them.  “Bloody hell, Faye.  The Cure must be in there.”

“Along with Silas,” Vaughn grumbled underneath his breath.

“Then on the off chance that he actually exists, we’ll let him go!”  Rebekah snapped.  “Shut your mouth or I’ll silence it for you by breaking your jaw.”  Vaughn opened his mouth to say something else and Rebekah made good on her threat.  Jeremy glanced away when he heard the sharp crunch of a bone breaking.  “Now.  Ready, Faye?”

“Of course.”  Faye and Rebekah picked up the professor’s bag, and dragged Jeremy and Vaughn with them further inside.  It was dark, but with a quiet spell from Faye and Rebekah’s night vision, they were able to see alright.  They walked down a tight, winding tunnel before finding themselves in a large, open and airy sector of the underground tomb.

“We’re here.”

“Where exactly is here, anyway?” Jeremy grumbled.

“This way,” Faye inclined her head.  In front of them lie a grey body on a huge slab of hardened dirt and rock. 

“Thanks for the gift, guys, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to crash this party,” a new voice echoed and the group turned.

But not in time.

Katherine Pierce blurred into the cavern and snapped Faye’s neck, releasing the magic binding Vaughn, who went after Rebekah immediately with a gun and splintered bullets.  Faye’s lifeless body fell to the ground and Rebekah screamed.  She launched herself at it at the same time Vaughn shot her up with wooden bullets.  When she screamed again, it was in mental anguish and physical pain both.

Katherine grabbed Jeremy’s neck and bit into it and then shoved his head down onto the stone body.  Blood dripped down into the thing’s mouth and nothing happened except Katherine holding Jeremy into place.  Then, when it looked like nothing would revive the fabled Silas, his hands moved and gripped Jeremy close to him, releasing the Cure from his once fossilized grasp.

“Thanks again,” Katherine said breathlessly and she snatched up the glass entombed Cure.  She sped out of the cavern, leaving Rebekah writhing on the floor with Vaughn standing over her, Faye’s lifeless body staring emptily into space, and the Immortal Silas draining the life out of Jeremy’s body.

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tbc

 

 

 


	11. hello little boys, little toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, you can hear me cry  
> See my dreams all die  
> From where you're standing  
> On your own.  
> It's so quiet here  
> And I feel so cold.”

“Oh my God, Jeremy!”  Stephanie’s heart stopped as Elena raced past her and draped herself over her brother.  Time was suddenly disjointed and her limbs disconnected from her body.  “He’s not _breathing_!  Damon, he’s not breathing!”  Elena’s hands ran over Jeremy’s head and face; she touched his neck and his bare shoulders, and ran her fingers over his still chest and heart.  Stephanie took one step closer, and then another.

“Bloody hell,” Kol breathed somewhere far away.  “It’s Silas.  He’s . . . he looks just like . . .”

Stephanie kneeled on the ground across from Elena, who was still running her hands over her brother’s body.  Distantly, she heard a new voice talking to Damon.

“This vampire Katherine,” He was explaining, “came out of nowhere.  She revived Silas, took the Cure and got the hell out of dodge.  If I didn’t need a lift back up to the surface, I’d have gone after her.”

“Who exactly are you?” Damon’s voice was low and menacing.

“Galen Vaughn. I’m another hunter and I was here to kill that bastard.”  Their conversation quieted and Stephanie took one of Jeremy’s hands in hers.  It was rapidly cooling.  Across the cavern, Rebekah stirred.

Elena looked up and through tear stained eyes at the Original.  “You . . . this is your fault!”  She leapt up and tackled a still wounded Rebekah, tearing her to the ground.  “You killed him!  You brought him here!”

“It was Katherine,” Rebekah hissed through dry lips.  “She killed Jeremy.  She . . . killed Faye.  She killed Faye,” Rebekah moaned.  It was low, desolate and inconsolable sound.

“It was _your_ fault he was even here!” Elena screamed and her hands scrabbled to get purchase of Rebekah’s clothes.  She hauled up the older vampire and shoved her against one of the stone walls, repeatedly hitting Rebekah until it cracked.

“That’s enough,” Damon said quietly.  “Elena.  Elena, come on.”  He reached for her, but Elena reared back her head and hissed at him, eyes black and fangs protruding.  Rebekah took advantage and shoved Elena off of her and straight into Damon, making them stumble but not fall.

Klaus made his presence known for the first time.  Stephanie had almost forgotten him.  “Rebekah,” Klaus said.  “Come on, love.  Let’s settle down now –” Stephanie could see the dagger hidden in the back of his jeans, the hem of his shirt riding up and revealing it and sliver of pale skin.

“No, no, no!”  Rebekah threw Klaus and collapsed next to Faye’s still body and screeched.  “She’s dead, she’s dead!”  Klaus picked himself up and fast as lightening, slid the dagger into his sister’s back.  Her lips popped into a surprised ‘o’ and she slumped forward, skin greying.  Her desiccating body rested on Faye’s.

Klaus used gentle hands to straighten up her legs and arms, settling her next to Faye as opposed to on top of her.  “I’ll revive her at a later time,” He said to no one in particular, and so no one responded. 

“Hey,” Bonnie called.  She sounded shaken but determined.  “We need to find Katherine and get the Cure back so we can kill _him_ as soon as he wakes up.”  She jerked a thumb at the body on the stone stab that was rapidly paling from grey to porcelain.  “Kol, stay here and watch them.”  Kol’s eyes were still riveted to the body, but he nodded slowly.

“Damon, Klaus, with me,” Bonnie commanded.  “Kol, put a containment spell on Silas.”  She turned to Vaughn and arched her brows.

“I’ll stay here with the big guy,” He said flatly and wiped at a drop of blood in the corner of his mouth.

“Fine.  Stephanie?”

“I’ll be here,” She said vaguely and felt herself stand and move to Elena’s side.  Elena was still trembling, but she was strong enough to pull Steph back to Jeremy’s body.  She crouched and held his hand in her arms.  Elena rocked him unsteadily, while Stephanie sat vigilantly next to her.

“Be careful, love,” Klaus said to Steph as his departing, shooting Silas’ body a hostile glance.  He glared at Vaughn as well for good measure, before he, Damon and Bonnie left the wishing well together – combination that Stephanie would have taken the time to laugh at if it were any other occasion.  Vaughn took several steps away from the two female vampires and the dead hunter, and went to stand next to Kol as his lips moved silently.

“He looks exactly like –” Vaughn began in a careful tone, but Kol cut him off quickly.

“I know.  Don’t say anything.”  He gave the hunter a significant look and finished the spell.  “He should be fine for now.  Let’s just hope that they find Katarina relatively quickly, because I’m not sure how long this will hold.”

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The trees whipped past her on either side and she could feel the sand sliding in her shoes, warm and uncomfortable. 

“Where do you think you’re going, Katarina?”  Katherine felt a cold sweat break out on her neck, but she just pushed herself to faster faster faster.  “Oh no, Katarina; your time is up.”  Klaus blurred in front of her and held out a hand, forcing her to stop or run into him.  His face was pleasant, as was his tone, but his bearing indicated that he was liable to spring at a moment’s notice.

“Oh, really?” Katherine pulled on some bravado to hide her anxiety.  She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder.  “How do you know this wasn’t the plan all along?  Get you guys out here alone?”

“Because you’re not stupid.”  Damon appeared in her line of sight with a deliberately superior smirk etched onto his marble face.  “You know you can’t win a fight against all of us.”

“I don’t have to,” Katherine replied.  She always was quick on her feet.  “Faye and Jeremy are dead, putting both Elena and Rebekah out of commission because of their debilitating grief.  Boo hoo.  I can see that Stephanie isn’t with you, so clearly she’s still infatuated with little Gilbert, and the hunter is gone as well.  It’s just the two of you against me.  And I have the Cure.”

“But I wield Expression.”  Bonnie stepped out of the trees with both of hands raised and the ground rumbled ominously.  “Klaus is a hybrid.  And Damon makes for a good distraction.”  She began to chant in a foreign language that Katherine had never heard before, but its spoken words made Klaus look up, intrigued.  They were close enough to the beach that Katherine could see and hear the water beating the shore with ten times more force than usual; trees fell and thunder rolled.  There was a crack of lightening and Katherine could hear the beginnings of a fire sizzle and pop in the dry foliage.

Bonnie’s eyes turned white and black veins crawled down her face and neck, up her fingers and arms.  Her hair was wild and standing on end with electricity.  Bonnie’s left hand twitched and Katherine felt herself choke on something in the back of her throat.  Her fingers tightened on the Cure, but she stumbled forward and then to her knees, suddenly weakened.  Bonnie strode forward, hands extended.

Katherine’s eyes welled up as she tasted salt on her tongue.  She coughed and then began to vomit water.  She choked on salt and sand that was coating her tongue and teeth.  She dropped the Cure.

“Let’s not kill her yet,” She heard Damon say.  “I think Elena wants first dibs.  She deserves first dibs.”

Then everything went dark.

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Stephanie pet Elena’s hair as the taller girl rocked, and made soothing noises at her.  Elena had relaxed at some point, dropping the hysterics but turned nearly comatose in the process.  The other hunter, Vaughn, had stayed close to Silas’ side.  He was as tense and as predictable as a live wire, fidgeting as he waited for the others to return with the Cure.  Kol paid him no mind, but was acting . . . strange.  He kept eyeing Silas’ body with a strange sort of fascination and horror that was a little frightening to see on him. 

Elena suddenly whimpered and clutched at Jeremy’s arm.  “Stephanie?”

“Sh, sh, it’s okay,” Stephanie said and she scooted backwards and curled her arms around Elena’s shoulders.  “Bonnie and Damon will be back soon with Katherine.”

Elena’s head jerked and she stared into Steph’s eyes with a fathomless gaze.  Then there was a spark.  “She can bring him back,” She whispered.

“What?” Steph’s brows furrowed. 

“Bonnie can bring him back,” Elena repeated more fervently.  “She can do it with Expression.”

“Elena, I don’t think,” Stephanie started, but paused.  She didn’t want to destroy Elena, but new vampire couldn’t deny what had happened.  Perhaps they could try with Bonnie.  Elena hummed and turned back to Jeremy’s body and stroked his face with her finger.  Stephanie averted her eyes; she couldn’t bear to look at Jeremy’s still features when he’d always been so passionate. 

Kol suddenly twitched and looked at the mouth of their cave.  Stephanie looked up as well, but then heard it; Klaus and the others had returned and were on their way down the tunnels.  Stephanie slowly rose from the ground, keeping a hand on Elena’s shoulder to support her friend.  Damon came into sight first, and he rushed to their sides. 

“Damon.”

“We found her,” Damon assured Stephanie and gave her a very brief hug before he slowly bent down to be level with Elena. 

“So let’s get this over with,” Klaus’ voice boomed around the cavern.  “I’d like to get home already.”  Katherine was slung over his shoulder and he set her down none too gently next to Vaughn.  “Don’t kill her yet, mate.”  Vaughn snorted.

Klaus moved to stand next to his brother at the same time Bonnie did, and they both looked at Silas for the first time together.  However, Stephanie saw that their backs immediately tensed their whole bodies stilled.  Stephanie furrowed her brows again.  “What’s the matter?”

Silas’ arm twitched and he suddenly jerked forward into a sitting position and swung his head around wildly, seemingly disoriented.  Then he saw Damon.  “Ah, there he is.  My shadow self.”

Damon looked up and his jaw dropped.  “The hell . . . ?”  Stephanie looked at Silas and did a double take; he was an exact replica of her brother, down to the same cocky smirk that was so comfortably settled on his pretty pink lips.  His hair was a little longer, a bit more unruly, but the same dark curls that Damon shared with their mother.  Silas’ eyes were the same piercing blue . . .

“Bloody hell, there’s two of them,” Klaus blurted out, an uncharacteristic thing for the hybrid to do. 

“Great observational skills, really, you should have been a detective, Niklaus,” Silas drawled and swung his legs over and off of the slab.  He moved to stand, but was repelled by Kol’s invisible barrier.  Silas clicked his tongue.  “Clever, little witch, but that’s not enough to stop me.”

“’Little?’” Kol repeated, aghast.

Silas ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he surveyed the cavern, already moving on from Kol.  His eyes found Elena in Damon’s arms and he cocked his head.  “How interesting . . .” Damon tightened his hold on Elena and Stephanie stepped in front of them, folding her arms aggressively across her chest.  Silas chuckled.  “You look familiar as well, Stephanie . . . hm.”

“Alright.”  Bonnie stepped forward with the Cure in hand.  “We’re putting an end to this, now.”

“Is that the Cure?” Silas looked at the tiny glass vial clenched in the witch’s hands.  “I’ll take that, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, we’ll give it to you, darling,” Kol assured the immortal. 

“But first I need the rest of those sacrifices made,” Silas sighed.  “Shane failed me.”

“No one else is going to help you perform mass murder,” Vaughn growled, speaking to the monster destiny told him was his responsibility to kill.  “You’re going to die.”

Silas clucked his tongue.  “Well, that just won’t do.”  He narrowed blue eyes and suddenly Stephanie blinked. 

When her eyes opened again, she was no longer in the cavern but in her room from 1864.  Stephanie surged forward in her bed, but immediately regretted it; her head spun and she felt like vomiting.  She rested her hands on her bed to steady herself and then looked up.  Her room was the same as it had been in 1864; there was nothing remarkable about it at all, besides the fact that she was _there_.  There was a knock on her door and Stephanie reflexively called out for them to enter.

Damon stepped into her bedroom looking cool and collected, wearing his dark blue jeans and black leather jacket and boots combination.  “What are you still doing in bed?”

“What are you doing wearing those clothes?”

Damon looked down at himself.  “Huh, you’re right; these don’t belong in this time period.  Excuse me; I’m still trying to pick everything up.”  His blue gaze pierced her soul.  “Being stuck alone on an island for two thousand years can really make a guy miss out on the good stuff.”

“Silas,” Stephanie murmured.

“Ding, ding,” Silas chanted with a grin.  “Got it in one!  You’re much brighter than your boyfriend.  Niklaus, is it?  He took a while longer.  But then again, you are Damon’s sister . . .”

“Where did you see Klaus?  Where are we?”  Stephanie stood but the room still spun on its axis.  There was a kink in her neck, which never happened anymore considering she was dead, and so she placed a hand there; but when she took her fingers away, they were covered in blood.

Silas waved a dismissive hand.  “I left Klaus in his own personal hell with Daddy to accompany him.”

Stephanie clenched her blood stained hands.  “How are you doing this?”

“Baby, didn’t anyone tell you that I’m psychic?” Silas asked, deceptively friendly.  He stepped over the threshold and strode to Steph’s side. She backed up and put the bed between him and her.

“So, what?  Are you taking turns torturing us in our minds for trying to kill you?”  She demanded.  “How original.”

Silas shrugged.  “I mean, I always thought that the originals were the best, you know?  Or at least that’s what I’ve gathered from your heads; the remakes always suck, and Plan A is usually a keeper.  Or something like that, anyway.”

“Who else have you visited?”  Besides Klaus, her mind supplied and she worried about him.  She worried about Damon and Elena – poor, anguished Elena who’d just lost her brother. 

“Ah, let’s see,” Silas counted off on his fingers.  “Klaus is afraid of his parents, so there’s that; Kol is afraid of his magic being taken away along with the little Miss Bennett, surprisingly enough; there’s also some childhood trauma there too, but what do you expect with that family?  Elena Gilbert just lost her last living relative, so she was easy as pie to work up.”  Stephanie felt her fangs beginning to push through her gums.  “Vaughn, the hunter,” Silas clarified when Stephanie pulled a face, “lost his family to vampires too, what do you know?  Miss Bennett . . . has a delightfully dark mind that I just cannot wait to explore further when I’m mortal again . . .”

“So you saved Damon and me for last?” Stephanie asked sharply.

“Well, I am a little conceited,” Silas admitted as he stepped around the bed and trailed the back of his hand over her face.  Stephanie snarled.  “I wanted to look at my face last.  And I did want to look at you again.”

“Why?  And why did you bring me here?  There’s nothing here,” Stephanie said, and as she spoke, she realized it was true; besides she and Silas, there wasn’t another solitary sound.  She moved past the other immortal and peeked out her window; the animals and the slaves and servants were missing from the plantation. 

“Oh, there’s something here alright,” Silas corrected and then the world he’d created in Stephanie’s head warped.  Her room suddenly was bathed in blood; red handprints decorated the walls and her bedcovers, and her dress dripped with the thick and hot substance.  Her fangs were already bulging.  “And you remind me of my own sister, Stephanie.  Her name was Cecelia.  She wasn’t a witch, though.  Bit of a bore, really, except she liked to tear the wings off of butterflies . . .”

Stephanie’s eyes widened and she quickly moved out of her room, slipping and sliding on the blood that coated the floor.  The hall was worse, though; familiar bodies were laid up against the walls, eyes open and mouths agape.  They were her friends and family from all eras of her life; human, vampire . . . her father was next to her bedroom, next to Damon’s still body.  Elena and Lexi and Caroline . . .

Stephanie ran.

“You can’t hide from me,” Silas’ voice emanated from every corner of her mind and the scene rapidly changed to 1920s Chicago.  “I know your every though, wish and desire.”

“Get out of my head!”

Stephanie slipped into Gloria’s club and saw every face was slack, even as their bodies twirled on in the rapid dance movements of the 20s.  Gloria’s jaw was hanging a grotesque angle as disjointed lyrics poured from her lip from her most popular song.  Silas popped in front of Stephanie and put his hands on her shoulders.  He dragged her forward, kicking and screaming and tore into her neck, savaging her flesh.

**_“Get out of my friends’ heads!”_**   A new voice thundered and Silas was shaken to his knees, where he curled his hands around his head.

Stephanie gasped awake on the cave floor.  She scrabbled around for someone, anyone, and felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her backwards.  Bonnie’s eyes were white again and blood was pouring out of her nose like a river as she forced Silas down with one hand and shoved the Cure down his throat with the other.  Silas choked, but Bonnie closed his mouth for him and his lips were sewn shut with magic.  Blood dribbled down his chin.

Then she twisted his neck with her caramel hands and his head hung from his shoulders at an impossible angle.  Someone screamed.

“Bloody hell, she did it,” Klaus’ shaken voice whispered in her ear.  “Bloody hell,” He repeated.  Stephanie was inclined to agree.  Bonnie’s hands fell back to her sides and she slumped to the ground.  Kol scrabbled across the cave floor to her side, his own eyes looking a little crazy as he hefted her up into his arms securely.

He sound hoarse.  “Let’s get off this Goddamned island.”

No one disagreed.

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.

(They ended up burning the body before they left, just in case).

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.

Somehow, when the group returned from the island a day later, everyone ended up at the Gilbert house except for Klaus, Rebekah and Faye’s body.  They’d given Galen Vaughn a ride back to civilization, and he’d promptly disappeared.  Someone had called Matt, and he, Anna and Caroline had arrived the following day, after everyone had had a good night’s sleep before they took on the next set of challenges.  Someone had called all of the live parents and explained that they were all right, although Bonnie’s father had a few choice words with her over the phone (she hung up on him).

Katherine was sitting tied up in the kitchen with a gag over her mouth and Jeremy’s body was lying on the couch.

Elena was sitting next to him, sedate and silent as she played with his ring in her fingers.  Matt and Anna stood awkwardly, close to her, but not near enough to touch, drinking tea and coffee respectively.  Damon paced the kitchen and Stephanie herself stood stiffly behind the couch with Caroline.  Kol was Bonnie’s silent watcher as she sat in the armchair, consulting her grimoire and Kol’s mother’s. 

The smell of death was clogging Stephanie’s nose, but she didn’t dare mention it in front of Elena, who was so attached to her brother’s decomposing body.  And just when the oppressive silence was about to overwhelm her, Bonnie looked up from her trance.  Elena stirred and looked at her friend hopefully.

“There’s nothing in the books,” Bonnie finally said and everyone deflated.  “But I can try anyway.”

Elena bit her lip.  “Please.”

Bonnie replaced Elena at Jeremy’s side, where Kol promptly followed.  They settled around his body and the air became thin as Bonnie channeled both her Expression and Kol’s reinstated magic to revive the teenager from death.  Stephanie stood on the balls of her feet, body tense next to Damon’s as she waited.  There wasn’t a sound in the air except for the humans’ breathing.

The now familiar, but still horrifyingly wrong, black veins crept across Bonnie’s skin, but it didn’t stop there.  Her fingertips began to turn completely black, like they were dying, and the color grew up her wrists and arms.  She began to shake.

Bonnie’s eyes flew open and their milky whiteness began to darken to the eerie black the rest of her body was turning and she and Kol dropped hands with Jeremy at the same time.  Then she began to seize on the floor, while Kol sat like an empty husk next to her.  Everyone rushed forwards, ignoring the crash they heard in the kitchen, and tried stop Bonnie’s seizure.

_“Bonnie, Bonnie, no!”_

“Somebody give her something to bite down on!”

“Pillow her head!”

There was rapid movement and confusion for several seconds as Bonnie’s body began to cease moving relaxed.  There was not a breath taken until Bonnie’s chest moved up once more.  “Bonnie?” Elena whispered, eyes tearing.

Bonnie’s lashes fluttered.  “I couldn’t do it,” She croaked.  “Jeremy’s dead, Elena, and there’s nothing I can do to help him.”

Elena’s face paled rapidly and she pushed her body backwards and curled into herself.  “No, no, no!”  Damon moved to comfort her, but she only snarled and shoved him off.  “He’s not dead,” She screamed.

“Someone get the humans out of here,” Damon snapped over his shoulder.  “She’s going to do something she’ll regret if we don’t.”  Caroline quickly complied, reaching for both Anna and Matt and tugging them out the door and Kol snapped out of his reverie enough to pick Bonnie up into his arms.  The five of them vacated quickly, leaving only Stephanie, Elena and Damon together.

“Katherine’s gone,” Stephanie suddenly realized, seeing the mess of the shattered wood on the kitchen floor.

“Who the hell cares right now,” Damon muttered as he tried to get Elena calm.  She struggled out of his arms and sprinted to the kitchen, searching the cabinets, throwing things around until she grabbed a bottle of oil.  “What are you doing?”  Damon asked slowly.

“We need a cover story, right,” Elena said, rapid fire.  Her voice sounded a little dead; a sharp contrast to the anguished screaming just moments before.  “What can we say?  He tumbled down the stairs?  Got into a car accident?  No, I have a better one; we burn down the house with Jeremy’s body inside of it.”

“Elena, stop,” Stephane said urgently. 

“Why?” Elena snapped.  “Because you want me to face the truth?  This is the truth, Stephanie.  Damon.  I don’t want to see this house ever again; I don’t want to see these sketches.”  Elena sprayed the charcoal drawings of Jeremy’s that sat at the base of the fireplace.  “I don’t want this X-Box.  I’m not gonna need this bourbon anymore; Alaric isn’t here to drink it.”  Elena finished with the oil and snatched the bourbon.  She popped off the top and continued.

Damon and Stephanie rose and exchanged concerned glances.  “We can work something else out, Elena,” Damon said soothingly.

“What else are we supposed to do, Damon?” Elena growled.  “There’s no more room in the Gilbert family plot.  Jenna and John took the last spots.”  She grabbed the matches off of the fireplace and lit one.

“Elena, please stop and listen for a moment.  You can’t burn this place down.”

“Why not, Stephanie?  There’s nothing here for me anymore.  It’s full of memories of the people that I love that have died . . . my mom, my dad, Jeremy, Alaric, Jenna . . . even John!  There’s nothing left for me anymore!”  She dropped the match, but Damon swooped in and smothered the sparks.

“Elena, you need to calm down,” He said firmly.

“I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”  She wailed. 

“I can help you,” Damon whispered.  “I can help you get through this, Elena.  Let me help you.”

Elena blinked tearful eyes at her boyfriend.  “I don’t think you can, Damon.  No one can help me.  So I’m going to help myself.”

Stephanie tensed.  “What do you mean, Elena?”

“I’m turning it off.”

“You don’t want to do that,” Steph started, her heart in her throat.  “You’re regret it, I swear, Elena.  It will hurt so much when you turn it back on.  And what about everyone you love that’s still alive?  Caroline, Matt, Bonnie, Anna, Damon and me?  We care about you.”

Elena closed her eyes.  “I’m – I’m going to do something for me, now.”

“Elena, don’t,” Damon said fervently.  “Steph’s right.  You won’t like it.”

“No.  I won’t care.”  When she opened her eyes again, they looked dead.

“Elena?”  Stephanie asked tentatively.  She looked down and saw the matches, and she grasped them.

“I’m going to burn the house down until there’s nothing left but ashes,” Elena said tonelessly.  “You can stay here or go.”  She got to her feet and lit it.  The flame seemed to take ages to fall onto the alcohol and oil, but when it did, the explosion was catastrophic.  Damon, Steph and Elena barely got themselves out alive and onto the grassy lawn.

Elena took one impassive look at the house and turned to Damon.  She arched a brow at him.  “Are you coming?”

Damon and Stephanie exchanged glances once more.  Finally, he said, “Yeah.  Yeah, um, how about we take a trip, okay Elena?”  She tilted her head and stared at her boyfriend and Stephanie had to blink several times to try and makes sense of the person she was seeing in front of her; Elena was so different.  She . . . Stephanie couldn’t describe it.

“Where are we going?” Elena finally asked.

“New York.”  Damon licked his lips.  Stephanie thought it made a sort of sense; it was far away from Mystic Falls and all of the memories and friends.  A dark part of Steph said it could be Elena’s Chicago.  “We can go to New York and I’ll show you all of my old hunting grounds.  It’ll be great.”  He reached for her hand, but Elena only curled her lip.

Damon’s hand fell back to his side.

“Sounds find.”  Elena eyed Stephanie.  “Are you coming with us?”

The heat of the flames from the house warmed Stephanie’s face.  The memories may not have bothered Elena anymore, but inside Stephanie was shattering into a million pieces.  “No.  No, I – I think I’ll leave that trip to you two.”  Elena shrugged, unbothered and led the way down the sidewalk.

Stephanie grabbed Damon’s elbow before he could go after her.  “Watch her,” She hissed.  “She’s dangerous right now, to herself, to you, and everyone else.”

“Don’t worry, Steph,” Damon reassured her, even though his own eyes were crinkled at the corners with a little unspoken anxiety.  “I can handle this.  You sure you want to stay here?”

“I’m not going to New York with you.”

Damon nodded and released Steph. 

Stephanie pursed her lips and asked suddenly, “Are we going to talk about the fact that Silas looked exactly like you?  Or about the fact that he spent his only waking hours tormenting us?”

Damon’s face pinched.  “Another time, little sister.  Another time.”  He turned and flashed after Elena and left Stephanie alone in the dark.

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.

After notifying Caroline of what had happened after she and the others had left and to pass it on to their friends, Stephanie found herself at the Originals’ mansion.  She found Klaus standing next to Rebekah’s coffin in one of the mostly empty back rooms.

“Going to let her out?”

“Maybe in a week or two,” Klaus said and he shut the door with an air of finality.  He turned to Stephanie.  “How did the resurrection go?”  His voice was dry.

“It didn’t and Elena turned off her humanity,” Stephanie admitted and sighed heavily.  She rubbed her hands over her face.  “It isn’t going to turn out well at all.”

“Where’s the delightful doppelgänger now?” Klaus asked.  He took Stephanie by the elbow and she let him lead her into his art room.

“On her way to New York with Damon.”

Klaus hummed and pulled out an envelope from his back pocket.  Stephanie furrowed her brows at it.  “What’s this?”

“You forgot to mention that Katarina managed to give you the slip,” He said, deceptively lightly.

“There are more important things going on,” Stephanie said a little sharply.  She folded her arms tightly around her middle.

Klaus softened and a mischievous glint entered his eyes.  “Well, how about a little trip to take your mind off of things?”

“I can’t, Klaus.  Not now.  Not right after . . .” Jeremy’s death was left unspoken.

“It’ll help take your mind off of him,” Klaus pressed.  “And Elena and everyone else in this God forsaken town.”  Stephanie bit her lip.  Stay in Mystic Falls or . . . leave?  Damon and Elena were gone, and Caroline could take care of the town if she had to.  Bonnie and Kol were still there, but with the looks of it, the Expression was taking a turn for the worse . . .  “Come on, love.  It’ll be fun.”

Steph pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Where are we going?”

“New Orleans.”

.

.

.

tbc.


	12. kings and queens of promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But don't you come here and say I didn't warn you  
> About the way your world can alter  
> And oh how you try to command it all still  
> Every single time it all shifts one way or the other.”

New Orleans was a city bustling with activity, as it always had, but this century brought with it simply _more._ Steph had been in New Orleans a few times before, one of which was before she’d shipped out to help in WWII and also in 1912, in which there had been a bar fight, her brother, and the meeting of Kol Mikaelson.  They had seen relatively little of New Orleans, but had enjoyed what they had. 

That day, Steph stayed only a few inches from Klaus’ form, for she was in no hurry to get lost in the loud, musical crowd at the French Quarter.  There were kiosks lining the street, and Klaus was leading her towards one in particular.  The clouds shifted and the sun was revealed, causing Stephanie to put on her sunglasses and shift beneath her dark leather jacket, revealing a light blue tank top and the hem of a white undershirt.  Her lapis lazuli ring hung off of her necklace chain, and her forest green rose tattoo was clearly visible on the back of her neck.

They arrived at the stand Klaus was clearly eager to get to, while the woman manning the station was less enthused.  She was a heavy set woman with mocha colored skin, and she wore a dark blue shirt that went down to her elbows.  Around her curly hair was a pink bandana tied at the back of her head.  Her face was the picture of obstinacy as she started packing up her things at the sight of Klaus and Stephanie approaching her.

“Is there some history here I should be worrying about?” Stephanie murmured.  Klaus grimaced.

“I have a history with everyone, darling,” Klaus muttered, and then turned to the woman to greet her pleasantly.  “Good afternoon.”  He seated himself down in front of the woman, gesturing for Stephanie to sit next to him.  Steph slipped into the chair quietly, observing the two people before her.  In her pocket, her phone vibrated.

“I have nothing to say to you,” The woman said flatly, hands folded neatly in front of her on the wooden kiosk. 

Klaus pulled a mock-wounded face.  “Oh, that’s not very nice, is it?  You don’t even know me.”

“I know what you are.”  The woman was neither impressed, nor taken in; Stephanie admired her, a little.   “You’re half vampire, half _beast_ ; you’re the hybrid.” Her eyes darted to Steph’s face, “But your pretty little girlfriend is just a vampire.”  Stephanie tilted her head.  While Klaus and the woman were occupied, she slipped out her phone and discovered a text from Damon; GOT TO NYU SAFE.  BE CAREFUL IN NOLA AND DON’T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN’T.  Stephanie rolled her eyes; like that _really_ set any limits.  She’d called Damon on the flight to New Orleans, but kept her explanations to a minimum.  There was no need to have him worry about possible witch uprisings or the fact that she was traveling with Klaus. 

Klaus only smiled.  “I’m the Original hybrid, actually, but that’s a long story for another visit, eh?  I’m looking for someone.”  Seeing her incredulous look, he elaborated further, “A witch.  Perhaps you might be able to help me find her; her name is Jane-Anne Devereux.” 

The woman’s face gave away her jolt of fear, even as she stated that she didn’t know who Klaus was talking about.  Stephanie’s brows furrowed because the name tickled something in the back of her head as well.  _Jane_ sound so familiar . . .

Klaus leaned forward, unimpressed and not about to let a street vender keep him from discovering what was being planned against him.  Stephanie braced herself in the event that she had to stop him from murdering their new acquaintance.  “Well, that’s a fib then, isn’t it?”  He ducked his head and took one of her hands, but his voice was oily. “Now, you see, I know that you’re a true witch – a pearl in this sea of posers.”  His light eyes met hers as he warned her, “So enough with the fabrications.  I’ve quite a temper.”

“Klaus,” Stephanie warned.

The witch ripped her hand from Klaus’ grasp and glowered.  “Witches aren’t allowed to talk out of school about their magic.  The vampire in charge won’t allow it; it’s against the rules.  And I don’t break Marcel’s rules.”

Stephanie could feel Klaus tense against her, and heard it in his voice.  “Where do you suppose that I could find _Marcel_?”  The name was completely unfamiliar to Steph.  The witch side-eyed her before writing down a presumed location on a slip of scrap paper, sliding to Klaus, who pocketed it.

“Thank you for your time.” Klaus smirked, his temper satisfied, and he led the way, knowing exactly where to go because of the information the witch-vender had been able to give him.

Together, they went to the written location and found a club, where a handsome dark skinned man was singing passionately into the microphone.  There were bodies everywhere, but most of them were vampires; there were very few living beings with pounding hearts and enticing blood to tempt Stephanie off her more . . . balanced . . . diet.

“So who is Marcel?” Stephanie asked.  She took off her sunglasses and slid them into a pocket within her jacket. 

Klaus nodded towards the singing man.  “He’s a prodigy of mine.” Klaus’ eyes crinkled in amusement and Steph even so a flash of a dimple for a split second.  “I taught him quite a few tricks; some of them I learned from you.”

“Good to know that I contributed to the cause of your imminent downfall,” Stephanie muttered.  “Damon would be so happy.”

Klaus laughed derisively.  “Marcel _isn’t_ going to be my downfall.  Nothing will be; I’m immortal.” Stephanie only rolled her eyes and kept her mouth shut, short of saying something scornful that would make the Hybrid even more disagreeable.  Klaus and Stephanie approached the vampire Marcel together, coming to a stop a few feet away. 

Marcel left the stage as he finished the song, downing a tumbler of some kind of alcoholic beverage.  He was handsome with dark skin and chocolate eyes, Stephanie observed in a detached kind of way.    Marcel paused and set the glass down slowly, and turned his head in their direction.  He gave Steph a cursory glance, but ultimately dismissed her as a threat; he gazed at Klaus with something that might have been admiration, scorn, or a little something of both.

“Klaus.”

“Marcel.”

“It must have been a hundred years,” Marcel continued coolly, “since that nasty business with your Papa.”

Klaus’ exterior chilled another ten degrees and he swaggered forwards.  “Has it truly been that long?”   Stephanie arched her brows at the sudden coldness in Klaus’ mannerisms; he’d been warm and welcoming to the idea of greeting his old friend only moments ago.  Then again, anyone who mentioned Mikael was sure to face Klaus’ nasty temper. 

“The way I hear it is that he ran you out of town; left a trail of dead vampires in his wake.”  Marcel took a step closer to Klaus, cocky and unafraid. 

“And yet, it was quite fortunate that you managed to survive,” Klaus said, coolly appraising his protégée. “My father, unfortunately – or fortunately in my case – was incinerated to dust.  By me.”  This was a catalyst, Stephanie saw, as two vampires immediately melted off the bar and came to stand at Marcel’s side as back up.  More vampires slowed, apparently ready to defend their leader.  Stephanie felt herself tense, and worry crawled up on her.  Klaus and her made a good team, sure, though having Damon there would have relaxed her nerves a little (for Damon was a good guy to have in a spat when you find your back up against a wall as he was prone to use dirty tricks).

Finally, Marcel spoke again, “Well, if I had known that you were coming back in town, I’d have-“

Klaus didn’t let him finish.  “Would have done what, Marcel?” He took another step closer and then they were nearly nose to nose.  Stephanie was a few paces behind him, eyeing the vampires by Marcel’s side.  “What would you have done?”

“I’d have thrown you a damn parade.”  Marcel’s face split into a shit eating grin, revealing brilliant white teeth.  “Niklaus Mikaelson!”  They embraced, both laughing and the vampires on Marcel’s side relaxed minutely.  “My mentor, my savior, _my sire_!”  He let go of Klaus, only to turn his dark eyes on Steph again, appraising her.  “And who is this beautiful, petite woman?  Flavor of the week?”

Stephanie arched her brows.  “Not likely,” She replied dryly.

Klaus chuckled darkly.  “Oh, my friend, no, no, no.  This, mate, is Stephanie Salvatore; she’s the Ripper of Monterrey.”  Anyone could tell that he savored the sound of her name on his tongue; could hear the pride of being with the monster, the Ripper.  The knowledge regularly would have made Stephanie uncomfortable, and she was, a little.  But he also felt pride of being with Stephanie Salvatore, the vampire savior that tried to help people and drank blood bags; she could felt the affection every time they exchanged blood.

Marcel did a double take and Stephanie curled her lip into a sweet smile, just to set the other vampire off balance.  “This is _the_ Ripper.”  He took a step forwards and took her hand, kissing her wrist.  He gave her a blinding smile.  “How lovely it is to meet the woman that has captured Niklaus’ heart.”  Stephanie’s green eyes searched Marcel’s face and she knew that she was being mocked.  Klaus was oblivious, for the first time in his excessively long life.  Marcel leaned forwards and asked quietly with a smirk on his face, “Do you really rip of the heads of your meals?  I mean, surely that’s just an exaggeration of time.  Embellishments often happen to tall tales, don’t they?”

Stephanie pressed her lips together.  “Unfortunately, that’s true.”

“’Unfortunately?’” Marcel questioned.

“I’ve seen the error of my ways,” Stephanie said tightly and pulled her hand away.  “I don’t really do that anymore.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” Marcel drawled and then cackled with his friends.  “Time must have tamed the great Ripper.”

“If you’re that appreciative, and you stand still, I’ll demonstrate on you.  Or your friends,” Stephanie replied easily.  Marcel was an irritant.  Klaus sniggered.

“This one,” he pointed at Stephanie, “is definitely a keeper, Niklaus.  I like her.”

Klaus bared his teeth into a shark-like smile.  “Indeed.  But she’s not a bird, Marcel; this one cannot be kept.  You’d do well do remember that.”  Speaking from experience, he would know.  Marcel only hummed noncommittally and led the way towards the back of the bar, with a couple of his vampires following close behind.  They sat and settled into an office, and Marcel poured them all drinks.

“It’s good to see you,” The darker skinned vampire said again, laughing, at ease in what was clearly his element. 

“It’s good to be home,” Klaus smiled, but not wide or remotely real enough to let his dimples show, “but please tell me the current state of Bourbon Street isn’t your doing.”

“Well, someone’s got to draw in the out-of-towners,” Marcel explained, unapologetic, “or we’d all go hungry.”

Stephanie’s eyes wandered the room and settled on one of Marcel’s vampires conspicuously standing in the room, guarding.  On his finger was a lapis lazuli ring.

Klaus noticed it as well.  “I see your friends are daywalkers.”  He voice was still pleasant, but there was a hard edge to it now. 

“Yeah, well, I shared the secret of your daylight ring to a few buddies of mine.  Just the inner circle though,” Marcel explained, his tone relaxed and with a smile on his face.  “Your girlfriend has one too.”

“I got mine from the woman who turned me,” Stephanie said.

“Who was your sire?” Marcel asked curiously.

“Katherine Pierce,” Stephanie said easily and enjoyed the shock on Marcel’s face.

“She’s a bit of legend herself,” He said a moment later, and he leaned forward.  “Why did she turn _you_?”

“She was a friend of mine and a lover of my brother’s,” Stephanie said easily, and omitted the part where she’d had to be compelled to even drink Katherine’s blood.

“But she’s an enemy of Klaus’,” Marcel pushed, clearly interested.

Arching a brow, Stephanie leaned back in her chair.  “Is there a point coming up in this interrogation?”

Marcel laughed again.  “I like you,” He repeated, shaking his head.

Klaus wedged his way back into the conversation, clearly slightly irritated, “Tell me how you found a witch willing to give you daylight rings.”

Marcel gave them a slow, entrancing smile as he leant forwards over the table.  “I’ve got the witches here wrapped around my finger.” Despite herself, Stephanie pictured Marcel trying the same thing with Bonnie and found the idea laughable, especially with the younger girl on Expression; she’d have Marcel kneeling at her feet and then burning to a crisp in less than five minutes of meeting him.  Which Stephanie didn’t necessarily disapprove of, even only knowing this vampire for less than an hour.  But thinking about Bonnie and Expression in the same sentence made the amusement disappear from mind; the witch hadn’t been doing particularly great when Steph had left Mystic Falls.

Klaus laughed.  “Is that so?” He inquired.  “I’m looking for a witch . . . she’s called Jane-Anne Devereux.  I heard she’s got some business with me.”  Klaus’ lips were pulled into a broad smile and then he waited.

“Jane-Anne?”  Marcel asked and Stephanie didn’t miss the quick look between Marcel and his friends.  Suspicion rose in her and she filed the action away for further thought.  “In that case, you really probably ought to come with me.”  He rose, showing them that he was leading this expedition.

“Showtime!” Marcel led Stephanie and Klaus out onto the now dark street, where they were joined by numerous other vampires.  The other vampires, nearly all of which not owning a daylight ring, were delighted with the night; they walked on top of the buildings and cars, jumping from root to roof top.  Music blared from stereos and car radios, all playing the same song.  The three of them walked down the middle of the street together, a few of Marcel’s closest vampires always within reach.  The others were branched off, jumping and leaping and enjoying themselves as they made their way down Bourbon Street.

Steph caught the tail end of a conversation between Klaus and Marcel, “– if your blood relations let you down, forget ‘em; make your own.”  Marcel winked.  “You taught me that, Klaus.  What’s mine is yours, as always.  Even my nightwalkers.”

“I don’t know,” Stephanie found herself adding to the conversation.  “I find that my brother always has my back in a tough spot.  Even when we’re at each other’s throats.”

“You’re lucky then,” Marcel said smoothly.  “Not all of us have that luxury.”

“Your nightwalkers are hardly subtle, are they?” Klaus observed distastefully as he noticed the roof jumpers and car leapers.

Marcel laughed, and Stephanie was starting to think that the vampire viewed everything as a colossal joke.  “There ain’t no such thing as subtle, baby.” He whistled and pumped his fist, exciting the crowd of bloodthirsty vampires.  They paused in the street then, and two vampires brought forward a woman with long dark brown hair.  Her hands were tied in front of her body and her lips were twisted up into a grimace.  Stephanie squinted.

That was the Jane from the Grill who’d talked to her, right before some of her memories had disappeared.

“Jane-Anne Devereux,” Marcel drew out and the crowd went ballistic.  “Give it up for her!  Come on!” The cheers rose and then quieted.  “Jane-Anne Devereux, you have been accused of witchcraft out of the bounds of the rules set and enforced by me.  How do you plead?  Ooh,” He suddenly spun around and asked Stephanie and Klaus.  “Was that convincing?  I went to law school in the fifties.  Hold that thought – “ He ducked back over to Jane-Anne, “But seriously, you know the drill.  How do you plead?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Jane-Anne snapped.  Her voice wavered when she caught sight of Stephanie’s narrowed eyes.  She made an abortive motion with her hand and her throat.

_Don’t tell them anything._

“Oh, that’s a lie,” Marcel drawled, “you know it, I know it, and you _hate_ that I know it!  It drives you witches ever-loving crazy that I know your every move!  That you can’t do magic in this town without getting caught!”

Something in Stephanie burned with anger and she crossed her arms.  “So, why don’t we just cut to the chase, huh?”  Marcel plucked a few leaves off of a tree branch that he deftly picked up off the ground, “Why don’t you tell me what magic you’re brewing . . . you tell me, and I’ll grant you mercy.”  He leaned toward her.  “I am, after all, a merciful man.”

“Rot in hell, monster,” The witch snapped and the air around her crackled; Stephanie could almost taste the magic in the air.

“I’ll tell you what.  I’ll give you one more chance –“ But he didn’t.  Instead, Marcel whipped the branch around so quickly that only a vampire’s enhanced eyes could track the movement, and tore open Jane-Anne’s neck, making blood spew and the witch drop to her knees, breathing already almost stopped.  The crowd went wild, screaming and cheering and Stephanie’s jaw fell open in surprise.

“Or not,” Marcel breathed, and next to Stephanie, Klaus blinked rapidly, taken aback.  Steph spared him a glance, but then rushed forwards towards the witch.  But Marcel’s big hands reached out and caught her around the waist and kept her from reaching Jane-Anne. 

“Let go of me,” Stephanie said flatly.  She twisted her body and tried to force him to release her, but Marcel was stronger than her.  How much older was he, exactly?

“She’s gone; there’s nothing you can do for her now.”  Marcel laughed.  “Besides, witches aren’t allowed to do magic here and she broke the rules.  It was a just punishment.”

“It was unnecessary,” Stephanie snapped and wriggled her body in an attempt to loosen his grip around her middle.

“You’re not like I expected the Ripper of Monterrey to be.”  Marcel’s voice was flippant, but his eyes were shining with anger and conceit.  “I thought you’d be . . . something else.  Vicious.  Seductive.  Bloodthirsty.  You used to kill unnecessarily too, Ripper.”  The sound of her moniker coming from Marcel’s mouth sounded wrong.  Dirty.

Before Klaus could come over, Stephanie gripped Marcel’s arm and snapped the ulna and the radius halves and in his moment of distraction, she escaped his hold.   Stephanie flashed to Jane-Anne’s side and checked her pulse, even though she knew the action was useless.  The witch was dead.

Klaus spoke and he sound completely unamused.  “I told you I wanted to talk to Jane-Anne.”

“Walk with me.”  Marcel clapped a hand on Klaus’ shoulder and steered him and Stephanie away from the crowd.  His tone turned conciliatory as he said, “Hey, I’m sorry; I got caught up in the show.  But those witches think they still have power in this city and I have to show them that they don’t.  I never waste a chance to show them in force; another lesson I learned from you.”

Stephanie pressed her lips together in a thin, furious line, while Klaus listened quietly.

“Besides, anything you could have gotten out of her, I can find out for you myself.  And I will, I promise,” Marcel swore.

“Alright then, mate.”  Klaus gave a slight, false, smile.  “And whatever it was that Jane-Anne knew, it doesn’t matter anymore does it?”

Marcel laughed.  “Good.  Well, let’s eat then.  All that spilt blood makes me hungry.”  He led the way, though Stephanie and Klaus stayed for a few seconds longer.  Klaus paused one of Marcel’s friends with a quick hand.

“Thierry, isn’t it?  You wouldn’t happen to know where any more of those Devereux witches might be, eh?”  The vampire apprentice, Thierry, swallowed thickly and then rattled off directions to the restaurant Sophie Devereux worked at.  “Thank you for your cooperation.  Don’t tell Marcel about our little chat, eh?”  Thierry nodded and flashed away as soon as Klaus’ released the front of his shirt.

“I’ll go talk to Sophie,” Stephanie volunteered.  “You keep up appearances with Marcel.”

“Won’t that seem suspicious if you just disappear?” Klaus arched his brows.

“It’ll seem more suspicious if I go in your place,” Steph rebutted.  “I’ll call you after I’ve talked to her.”  She gave him a quick wave and disappeared before he could continue to try and talk her out of meeting with the witch.

Stephanie had some business with Sophie Devereux anyway.

.

.

.

“Sophie, right?” Stephanie asked warily.  The woman standing behind the counter and chopping vegetables was physically older than Stephanie, and her back was rigid with tension.

“Who wants to know?”

“The vampire you met in Mystic Falls a few days ago,” Stephanie replied.  Sophie stiffened and turned around, knife held carefully in front of her body.

“What do you want?”

“Not to hurt you, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”  Stephanie lifted her hands to placate the witch. 

“Then what are you here for?”  Sophie snapped and she angrily wiped tears away from her eyes.  She moistened her lips and looked down for a moment to collect herself.  “Here to rub it in that my sister is dead?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Certainly the great Ripper of Monterrey enjoyed the show, right?”  Sophie blithely continued.

“I don’t do that anymore,” Stephanie corrected firmly, “and what Marcel did was horrific, but I couldn’t stop him, unfortunately.  I’m sorry about Jane-Anne.”  What she wanted to know now, was how the news had traveled so quickly across the Quarter. 

Sophie nodded sharply.  “Not that a vampire’s condolences are worth much, but thanks.  But that’s not what you came over here for, was it?”

“No,” Stephanie admitted.  She crossed her arms and took a slow step further.  “I have a couple of questions that I would appreciate some answers to.”  When Sophie did nothing but stare, she continued.  “Just two to start with, actually.  The first is this; what did your sister want with Klaus so badly that it got her killed on a street corner?”

Sophie’s lips thinned and her gazed drifted somewhere over Steph’s shoulder.  “I see you brought some friends.”

Stephanie turned and saw two of Marcel’s nightwalkers.  “Marcel must be tailing me.”

“And the fact that you’re interest enough for Marcel to put tails on you is all that matters.  Klaus may have built this town, but Marcel is in charge now.  He killed my sister because she broke the rules.  If they see me talking to you in front of them, I am going to be next.”

“So let’s talk somewhere private,” Stephanie suggested.  “Is there somewhere we can go that neither Marcel nor his gang can find us?”  Sophie’s eyes lit up and the vampire felt queasiness in her stomach that suggested this wasn’t the best idea.

“Follow me,” Sophie commanded.  “I know just the place.”  She beckoned Stephanie forward and they slipped out the back door of the restaurant into an alley.  Sophie pulled her knit cap a little farther down her forehead and pulled up the neck of her jacket.  They started walking and passed a metal trash can with incense and candles laid out, where Sophie took a moment to pause.

“Is this . . . ?”

“It’s kind of like a private memorial until we get her body,” Sophie said bitterly and Stephanie nodded.  She put her hands and stepped back, giving Sophie a moment to grieve before they left.  While she waited, Steph pulled out her phone and texted Klaus; he needed to keep an eye on him, especially if he was putting tails on _her_.

As she was sliding her phone back into her pocket, Stephanie heard a noise in the alley behind.  The vampire’s head jerked up in time with Sophie’s, to see the two vampires from the bar hemming them in against the wall.

“Doing some magic out here?”  The one with the gruff beard asked. 

“Just praying to my dead sister.  Is that allowed?”  Sophie’s voice was like venom. 

“Don’t make this into a thing, Sophie,” The dark skinned vampire said contemptuously.

“Why don’t you two back off a little?” Stephanie suggested. “Sophie isn’t doing anything wrong and neither am I.”

“The hybrid was asking questions about Jane-Anne,” The scruffy vampire said.  “Marcel wants to know why.”

“Oh, that sounds like witch business,” Sophie said carelessly.  “I’d say ask her yourself, but . . . you know, Marcel _killed_ her.”  The scruffy vampire snarled and seized the witch by her throat, while the dark skinned one went after Stephanie.

As he moved into pin her to the stone alley wall, Steph shoved a hand into his chest and ripped out his heart.  The vampire choked and desiccated.  She spun around and darted to Sophie’s side and snapped the other vampire’s neck, making him drop to the ground, boneless.  Sophie stepped back, hands to her throat and she regulated her breathing. 

“Thanks,” She said hoarsely.

“No problem,” Stephanie replied honestly.  “Now just tell me what I want to know, and I’ll consider that repayment.” 

Sophie sighed, but agreed.  “Okay.  We’re going to the witches’ crypt.  Some people will meet us there.”

.

.

.

Klaus was in a club that was filled with vampires, humans, and who the hell knew what else that was assumedly run by Marcel when he received Stephanie’s text.  It made it narrow his eyes and shoot Marcel a suspicious glance.

Marcel, next to him at the second floor of the club, leaning over the railing they were standing at, twitched at the attention.  “Klaus?  Something the matter, man?”

“Actually, something just came to my attention,” Klaus said.

“Oh?” 

“Yes, well, I’d like to know why you’re having Stephanie followed, and do you have men on me too?”  Klaus asked sharply.  He felt a burning anger rising in his belly; he didn’t like being spied on and liked the idea of Marcel having people just a hare’s breath from Stephanie without him there even less.  “We don’t need chaperones, Marcellus.”

“Come here, friend.  Let’s take a little walk, shall we?”  Marcel put a hand between Klaus’ shoulder blades and gently nudged him in the direction of a balcony overlooking New Orleans.  Klaus let himself be led outside as Marcel began to explain himself.  “Look at that skyline, huh?  Now that’s what I call progress.  More hotels, more tourists, more fresh bloods.  And the humans?  I taught them to look the other way.”  Marcel beamed.

“That still doesn’t tell me what you’re doing having us tailed,” Klaus warned. 

“It’s just to make sure nothing happens to your girlfriend,” Marcel reassured with a broad grin.  “I know how much she means to you, from our past and from the way you look at her now.  If one of mine or anyone in NOLA accidently hurt her, I’d be beside myself.  I’m just looking out for you guys.  That’s what we do here, man.”

Klaus leveled him a suspicious look.  “And the witches?  What are you doing with the witches and those ‘rules?’  They live in fear, clearly.  And I’m curious as to how you know when they do magic . . .”

“Maybe I’ve got a secret weapon,” Marcel teased, but there was seriousness in his eyes that Klaus would investigate later.  “Something that gives me complete control over this town.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Might be,” Marcel said.  “Or maybe I’m just bluffing.”  He shrugged and pulled something out of his pocket.  Klaus discreetly sniffed the air and . . .

“You take vervain,” He said flatly.

Marcel gave him a considering glance.  “Burns like a bitch,” He confirmed, “but I just want to lower the amount of things that I’m vulnerable to.”  His attention was quickly taken by something down on the street.  “Oh, dinner.”

“She’s either extremely stupid or scarily brave,” Klaus muttered.

“Let’s see which.”  Marcel grinned and wiggled his brows before hopping over the side of the balcony.  He began to romance the blonde bartender below, and Klaus heard someone familiar behind him.

“Evening, Elijah,” Klaus drawled.  “What brings you here to the French Quarter tonight?”

“What an entirely unsurprising welcome,” Elijah returned with a slight smirk.  “Follow me.”

“Not in the mood for follow the leader, brother,” Klaus said shortly.  “I need to find out what those witches are planning against me.”  And I’m waiting for Stephanie to call back, he didn’t say.

Elijah smiled at him knowingly.  “I think I may have discovered that out for you.  I saw Stephanie with the witches before I came to you, you know.”

Klaus stiffened.  Stephanie had gone to talk to Sophie yes, but that was one witch, as in singular.  Not witch(es).  “What?”

“She’s with the French Quarter’s coven in their hallowed ground,” Elijah continued.  He grimaced.  “I, ah, ran into them.  Unfortunately, there was an issue that prevented her from joining us here.”

Klaus’ hands clenched the metal railing of the balcony and below him, he heard Marcel’s continued attempts at romancing the girl.  “What.  Happened.”

“Follow me,” Elijah repeated, but this time, Klaus followed without hesitation.

.

.

.

“Where are we going?” Klaus demanded as they passed under the arch that welcomed them into a cemetery.  “This is getting a little too cliché for my liking, brother.”

“We’re going to find out what the witches are planning, Niklaus,” Elijah said as he continued to lead the way.  They walked into a crypt farther into the cemetery, where they found a pale, dark headed witch.  “Sophie,” Elijah greeted.  “He’s all yours.  Proceed.”

Klaus’ eyebrows rose.  “Sophie Devereux, what’s the meaning of this?”  He thought the witch looked entirely too smug.  “Where’s Stephanie?”

“You know you’re famous in this town, right?”  Sophie sidestepped the question.  “There are bedtime stories about the fabled, mysterious and all-powerful hybrid, Klaus.”  Klaus smirked a little at that.  “We know that Marcel was nothing but an orphaned street brat, until you took him in that is.”  She took a steadying breath.  “But now he’s out of control and I’m going to stop him.  Help me.”

Klaus smiled and turned to Elijah.  “This is why you’ve brought me here?  This is ridiculous.”

“Hear her out,” Elijah said firmly.

“No, I don’t think I will.”  Klaus bared his teeth at the witch.  “Tell me where Stephanie is, and we’ll be going.”

Sophie slowly shook her head.  “I don’t think you understand how this works, Klaus.”  She whistled and then there were two witches striding into the crypt through some back entrance with a very disgruntled Stephanie behind them, and two more witches behind her.

“You needed an entire brigade of witches to keep you here?”  Klaus asked, a little bemused at the situation despite himself.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, a sure sign that she was done with everything and irritated at everyone.  “These witches are crazy and I’m blaming you for my abduction.”

“I take full responsibility,” Klaus gave him with a grin and held up his hands.

“Good,” Sophie said shortly, interrupting them, “because this is serious.”

“Seriously crazy,” Stephanie corrected primly and she met Klaus’ eyes.  “What they’re saying is impossible, Klaus.  It’s against the laws of nature.”

He furrowed his brow.  “What’s going on?”

“Marcel may be able to control the witches of this town,” Sophie said, “but as witches, we can still tell when the balance of nature has cooked up something new.  This time, we just . . . helped it along a bit.”

“In other words,” Klaus said slowly, “you went against the laws of nature.”

Stephanie nodded and Sophie grimaced.  “So to speak,” Sophie admitted.  “We have a seer and she saw one possible outcome for this phenomena, which was originally part of the balance . . . but the future is precarious and some events changed it, leaving us to do something about this ourselves.”

“You’re talking in circles.  Watch it witch; you’re trying my patience,” Klaus warned.

Sophie glared.  “What I’m saying is, we used our ancestral magic to make something impossible become improbable.  It was just luck in the end that really served us well.”

“Oh?  What l _uck_?”

“It was good luck that you were in a romantic relationship with a woman, or at least a sexual one,” Sophie said. 

“Get to the point,” Klaus snarled.

“A week or so ago, my sister Jane-Anne and I went to Mystic Falls to spy on you and your girlfriend,” Sophie explained.  “When it became apparent to us that you were in a sexual relationship, we finalized our decision and stole some of Stephanie Salvatore’s personal effects so that we could perform a spell on her.  A spell that would change her body and make it so she could reproduce . . . with you, a hybrid.”

Klaus was speechless for all of two seconds.  Then he burst into near hysterical laughter.  “You’re joking,” He said with a smirk and then turned to Stephanie, whose hands were crossed across her middle.  “She’s joking.”

“I think she’s insane,” Stephanie volunteered, but her brows were furrowed.

“You’re both wrong,” Elijah said smoothly.  He turned to Klaus.  “Brother, the girl is carrying your child.  Just stop talking and _listen_ for a moment and the truth will be revealed to you.”

“You’re all barmy,” Klaus accused, feeling real irritation.  “This is _mad_.”

“This is _magic_ ,” Sophie corrected.  “You’re part werewolf, which makes your sperm still viable and for all intents and purposes, you’re fertile, Klaus.  Since you generally only sleep with her,” She jerked a thumb at Steph, “We just had to make it so that her body could change and adapt to carry a child to term.  Fortunately for us, it worked.  She’s pregnant with your kid.  Granted, it’s only been a few days, so the brat is mostly only a bundle of cells and a heart, but you get the picture.”

“Bloody hell,” Klaus breathed. 

“Just _listen_ , Niklaus,” Elijah begged.  “Please.”

“Humor them,” Stephanie advised uncomfortably.  “Because the sooner we do that, the sooner we can leave and get back to our own personal craziness in Mystic Falls.”  She looked smaller, surrounded by the tall witches, and it made Klaus’ gums itch to tear out their throats for taking her like this, for making this happen.

“Fine,” Klaus snapped at the witches.  “Everyone shut up, then.”  The crypt immediately became dead silent except for the regular heartbeats of the witches, the slow heartbeats of the vampires . . . and one, rapid pitter patter of a heartbeat going a hundred miles an hour emanating from Stephanie’s abdomen.

“Considering the kid is a whole bunch of supernatural, it’s development is slightly faster than normal, and because of your super enhanced hearing, you are able to hear its heartbeat much sooner than a transvaginal ultra sound would for a regular human,” Sophie said.

Klaus looked over and met Steph’s green eyes, which were widened in extreme alarm.  Her lips were parted in a small ‘o’ and her hands appeared to be trembling.  “There is not a chance in hell that this is actually happening,” She said after a moment of nervous silence.  “This is _not_ real.”

“It is, actually,” Sophie said unhelpfully.  “My sister gave her life to confirm this pregnancy.  The lives of this vampire and that baby are in the hands of us, the witches.  If you don’t help us take down Marcel, so help me, Stephanie won’t live long enough to see her first maternity dress.”

Klaus felt his anger pulsing and growing, but it was Elijah that stepped up.  “If you want Marcel dead, then it’s done; I’ll kill him myself.”

“No!”  Sophie snapped.  “We can’t, not yet.  We have a clear plan that we need to follow and there are rules.”

“How dare you _command_ me?”  Klaus asked quietly.  He predatorily slinked over to Sophie, baring his teeth.  “How dare you try and control _me_?  I’ll kill you before you lay a hand on her!”

“You won’t.”  Sophie lifted her chin.  “I’ll kill her now.”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone turned their heads to look at the vampire in question.  Stephanie was looking incredibly peeved, dark brows pulled together, lips pressed into a thin, angry line, and her hands placed defiantly on her lips.

“This is ridiculous and I do not consent to whatever outrageous plan that you’ve concocted than involves an innocent child,” Stephanie said firmly, her fury just beneath the surface.  “So, you made me pregnant to manipulate Klaus into doing your bidding.  Wonderful.  That’s a really awesome thought out plan, _really_.  So if he consents to help you off Marcel, do I get to leave?  Or do I get to sit around and look pretty while I gestate a three quarter vampire child for the next nine months?”

“You stay here for leverage,” Sophie said evenly.

“What keeps me from leaving New Orleans?”  Stephanie asked venomously.  Unbidden, Klaus felt his lips curl into a smirk; Steph had fire in her veins and when she let it out, she was glorious. 

“A binding spell,” Sophie answered.  “I’ve bound the life force of the child to me through you.  Considering you’re immortal for all intents and purposes, I couldn’t bind you to me.  But the child is one quarter werewolf and mortal, as far as we know.  If I die, so does that brat.”

Stephanie’s fists clenched.

“Listen, Niklaus,” Elijah said smoothly.  “This could be our chance to rebuild everything that was taken from us; rebuild our family and city.  It’ll all be _ours_ again.  We just have to follow the witches’ plans and take out Marcel.  Our parents despised us, brother.  All we have ever wanted was our family together again.  And with us here, Stephanie and the child, and we can call Kol and Finn and Rebekah . . . we can have that.  You can’t truthfully tell me you weren’t planning on trying to get rid of him anyway.”

There was silence.

Then, “No, you’re right,” Klaus eventually replied.  He looked at Elijah dead in the eyes.  “I was.  But I don’t want to be manipulated.  How exactly are you involved in this, Elijah?”

Elijah blinked.  “You can’t seriously think that I had a hand in manipulating you, Niklaus.”

Klaus threw up his arms.  “I don’t know what to think!  I come back to New Orleans and find that my big brother has found these witches before me and is apparently on their side!”

“I’m on your side,” Elijah argued.  “I’m always on your side, Niklaus, always and forever.  I came to New Orleans because Katarina visited me and said you were having trouble here.  I came to make sure.”

“Katherine,” Stephanie muttered and then cursed.  Klaus’ nostrils flared.

“Listen,” Sophie interrupted with a hand wave.  “You can fight about this later.  Are you taking our deal or not?  Because if you don’t, I’ll stake Stephanie right now.”

“Try it, bitch,” Stephanie muttered underneath her breath.

“What did you say?”  Sophie growled.

“I said try it, witch,” Stephanie said louder.  Despite himself and the circumstances, Klaus almost smirked.

“I’ll stay,” Klaus announced and the crypt immediately quieted.  “But only because I need Stephanie by my side and I want to be king of the French Quarter once more.   Marcel has usurped my place and he is about to find out how much of a mistake that was.”

Sophie grinned.  “So, where we begin is here; you need to integrate yourself into his inner circle, Klaus.  Let him know that you’re on his side . . .”

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.

“I’m really pissed, so I’m getting a separate hotel room,” Stephanie announced as they left the cemetery. 

“Come on, love, it’s not like any of that was my fault,” Klaus complained.  “The witches –”

“Don’t talk to me for twelve hours,” Steph interrupted. “I need some time to myself so I can reconcile the fact that you just negotiated my life in front of me, but _without consulting_ me.”

“They were going to kill you!”

“Maybe,” Stephanie said.  “But now we have to figure out how to overthrow your crazy vampire disciple and then make sure the witches don’t kill this _baby_ we’re miraculously having!”  Her shout drew the attention of several of the hotel’s other guests, making Klaus twitch.  He followed her to the front desk, where she negotiated with manager and got her own key card; he followed her up the stairs to her new room, and slipped inside with her.

“I should’ve stayed in Mystic Falls,” Stephanie grumbled to herself as she shut the door.

“You still would have been pregnant,” Klaus pointed out dryly, even as his mind rebelled against the thought.  Him, a father?  How laughable.  How outrageous.  How . . . frightening.

“Sh!”  Stephanie waved a hand at him.  “What am I supposed to tell Damon?  He doesn’t even know that I’ve slept with you since . . . the ordeal.”

“’The ordeal?’” Klaus asked.

“You know what I mean.”  She pulled out her phone and stared at it.  “He’ll be an uncle,” Steph murmured and she slowly sat down on her bed.  “I’m going to have a baby.  I’m . . . going to be a mother.”

Klaus took a step forward.  He wasn’t sure what to do; their situation was an unusual one and something that he’d never in millennia believed possible.  Did he comfort her?  Support her?  He didn’t even know what he felt about the situation itself except for betrayal at being manipulated by some stupid witches.  He didn’t even know if he wanted to be a father; it wasn’t like own was a good example.

“I’ve thought about it, before,” Stephanie admitted softly.  “Not a lot, granted, considering it was always an impossibility, but I knew what I was missing.  I don’t know what to think about this happening now.”

Klaus took a another step toward her bed and then sat next to her.  He tried to think of something that would stop the melancholy.  “I’ll be able to critique his art very well,” He offered.  “He’ll be very skilled in brooding from you . . . and Damon can teach him how to obsess over a woman for a hundred and forty years.”

Stephanie looked at him.

“You’re right,” Klaus said decisively.  “We shouldn’t let Damon anywhere near our child, my mistake.”  And she laughed.

“This is . . . weird.”

“And dangerous,” Klaus said soberly.  “I’m going to take New Orleans back from Marcel and then when that’s done, we’ll do something about the witches.”

“We are _not_ killing them,” Stephanie warned Klaus and he hummed noncommittally.  “Klaus,” She repeated.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them from hurting you,” Klaus growled, “and if that means killing every last of those bastards, I’ll do it.”

“This is why we can’t have a normal relationship,” She pointed out.  “Right there.  Something doesn’t go your way, you kill them.”

“You used to, too,” Klaus snapped.

“But not anymore and you said that was okay,” Stephanie said pointedly.  “How about we cross that bridge when we come to it?  Maybe you’ll find that you like the witches.”

“Not likely.”

Stephanie snorted.  “Yeah, I’m not a real fan of Sophie Devereux either.” 

.

.

.

When Klaus was gone and down the hall – he’d grumbled and threatened the entire way, but Stephanie was obstinate in having some time to herself – she pulled out her phone and called Damon.

“How’s Elena?”

“Trying to kill everyone we see,” Damon drawled.  “Oh, and we’ve discovered her deep, dark kleptomaniac tendencies that apparently have been residing in the depths of her heart.”

“Sounds fun,” Stephanie said.  She cleared her throat.

There was a pause.  “Is something wrong?  You sound weird.  Eat some bad gumbo?”

“Damon.”  Stephanie sighed.  “No, nothing’s wrong.  Keep working on Elena, okay?  I know she really wants to go to college.”

“Well, she has to be able to go through graduation first,” Damon said dryly.

“You can compel her diploma,” Steph dismissed

“Stephanie Salvatore, are you suggesting I break the rules?”

“I’m going to hang up on you,” Stephanie threatened.

“Love you too.”

“Bye, Damon.”  She pressed the button to end the call and lay in her bed.  She was tired and not ready to deal with Marcel the next day.  Or ever.  Her hand crept to her abdomen and she pressed her fingers into the flesh there.

“Hey, baby,” Stephanie whispered.  She could hear its tiny heart beating erratically if she concentrated.  “I’m going to keep you safe,” She swore.  “I promise.”

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.

.

tbc


	13. we will stand and we will hold your hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cold is the water  
> It freezes your already cold mind  
> Already cold, cold mind  
> And death is at your doorstep  
> And it will steal your innocence  
> But it will not steal your substance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! The next installment will be up as soon as I am able.

“It wasn’t your fault, darling.”  Kol must have said it a hundred times in the last three days, but between having a rushed memorial for Jeremy after the Salvatores and Elena left town, and dodging her angry father who was intent on getting her to quit practicing, Bonnie wasn’t in the mood much for listening.

She was intent upon Esther’s grimoire that moment, missing her graduation rehearsal, where Matt and Caroline were almost certainly missing her.  She flicked through the pages with a magical wind, just another change in her since the youngest Gilbert’s death; nearly everything was done with magic by her hand.  Even Kol, who cherished and reveled in his connection to it didn’t particularly think Bonnie’s usage was exactly . . . healthy.

His phone vibrated in his pocket for the third time that morning, but he continued to ignore it; whatever it was that Klaus wanted to say probably wasn’t going to be of any interest of Kol’s. 

“Bonnie, maybe you should take a break,” He suggested lightly as he bounced backward onto her bed.  “Your dad is downstairs, muttering to himself about finding a way to get rid of your grimoires.”

Bonnie’s head shot up and Kol almost did a double take; her eyes were milky white.  “Bonnie?”

“I’m going downstairs,” She said robotically.  Bonnie flipped the book closed and hugged it to her chest as she practically flew down the steps to the kitchen, where her father was puttering about.  Kol pursed his lips.

He flashed to her desk and noticed little droplets of blood on the mahogany exterior and several symbols scribbled onto loose leaf paper.  Kol squinted but couldn’t recognize much about the doodles besides the fact that they were of his mother’s creation.  “What _are_ you doing, Bonnie?”  He ruffled through the pages, and taking a quick look at the door to make sure that Bonnie wasn’t on her way back, took a second to fold them up and shove the sheets into his pockets.

Kol heard shattering glass in the kitchen and a panicked shout.  His head jerked up in time for the front door to slam so violently that the house trembled with the residual power Bonnie had fused into it.  Her father moaned and Kol flashed down the stairs to see what had happened.  He found Rudy lying on the kitchen floor in a puddle of his own blood, which was pouring from an open wound in the middle of his gut.  Rudy’s eyes narrowed when they landed on Kol, but before he could condemn him, the human began to cough up blood and thick mucus. 

“Bloody hell,” Kol cursed and he stooped down to Rudy’s side.  “What happened, then?”

“Bonnie’s gone crazy with all that magic,” Rudy spat in a hoarse voice.  “It’s my fault; I should’ve paid more attention to her and made sure she didn’t fall into that witchcraft garbage.”

“While I don’t agree that witchcraft is rubbish,” Kol said with a withering glare, “I do think that Bonnie has . . . gone a little overboard.  Here.”  Kol bit into his wrist and shoved it into Rudy’s mouth, rubbing the human’s neck roughly to make him swallow.  Rudy choked but some of the blood made it down and the skin on his stomach rapidly stitched itself back together.

“A little?” Rudy growled.  “What are you even doing here, _vampire_?”

“Going to help you help Bonnie,” Kol said grimly.  “Even I have to admit that the Expression has possessed her.  She’s done things that the Bonnie Bennett I know would never have done.”  This admittance wasn’t said lightly.

Rudy crawled to his feet, swaying a little, and so supported his weight by using the counter to help him keep his balance.  “I’m not working with you.  For all I know, _you_ ’ve been helping poison her mind.”

Kol rolled his eyes and turned on his heel.  “I’ll bugger off out of your house then, _Mayor_ , and find some people that will help me save your daughter from becoming a source of all evil.”

“Wait.”

Kol paused.

Rudy ground his teeth loudly.  “Just . . . save my daughter.  But then you need to leave.  She can’t do this with you here; she’ll worry about you endangering others, like I am right now.  You’re no good for this town, vampire.  And as soon as you do this to her, you’ll be unwanted, even by Bonnie.”

Kol left and let the door slam shut behind him.

.

.

.

“I was here in the seventies; it was great,” Damon explained and he spread his arms wide.  “The Big Apple.  It was the perfect place to be a vampire because you could kill indiscriminately and no one would catch you.”

“Great.  So you brought me here to be nostalgic?”  Elena deadpanned.  They were walking on the sidewalk, letting themselves get lost in the sea of bustling, busy people.  Her bangs were pulled over in a bump, showing her bright but otherwise uncaring face.

Damon shook his head.  “No, I brought you here because I wanted to prevent you from pissing your friends and family off while your humanity switch was off, and maybe try and persuade you to turn it back on, eventually.”

Elena flipped her hair and sighed.  Damon pretended to not notice the changes in his girlfriend, like the way she only acted like their relationship was purely physical, but otherwise she couldn’t give two shits about him.

“So, we’re here so that you can try and make me ‘good’ again?”  Elena snorted.  “Doesn’t sound like a good time to me.”

“Don’t worry,” He breathed into her ear, eager to elicit some kind of reaction.  “We’ll have lots of fun.  I promise.”  He pulled back and winked.  “Now, let’s get lunch.”  Damon tugged her along in the crowd by the wrist, but she followed eagerly enough until they passed a hair dresser’s shop.

“Wait,” She said and pulled Damon to a stop.  “I want to get my hair done and see how well the stylist tastes afterwards.”  Elena quirked her lips and darted away from him, slipping into the glass building.  Damon followed after.

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.

.

“What are you doing here?”

“Now, is that the way to greet the only person ready and willing to help your very own Glenda the Good Witch reform?” Kol drawled.  Matt Donovan folded his large arms across his chest and glowered.  His tiny girlfriend stood at his side and looked up at the Original with narrowed, suspicious eyes.  Matt was wearing a blue graduation gown, having just finished a practice run through with the rest of his senior class.  Anna was dressed casually, still being a junior and only there for support. 

“Does that mean you know why Bonnie wasn’t here today?”  Anna asked.

“Or why she’s been acting kind of crazy?”  Matt added.

“Or why she’s been putting weird protection spells on all of us?”  Caroline joined their small remaining circle of friends that weren’t off cavorting in other states or doing God knew what.  The other three sent her confused glances, and the blonde gave them a tight smile and sharp nod.  “I heard her the other day and it did not sound like the usual Latin stuff, guys.  I mean, seriously?  If she’s going to putting a spell thingy on my house, I’d like to reserve the right to know.  So, what do you know, Mister Magic Expert?”  Caroline turned to look at Kol very primly with arched brows.

Amused, Kol answered her.  “The Expression is taking possession of her body.  We’ve both looked in a few grimoires to determine if there’s a way to control the magic, but there’s been nothing so far.”

“Did you have any ideas?”  Matt asked slowly.

“I think the only thing to do is get a coven of witches here to purge it from her body,” Kol said grimly.  “I have connections.  All you need to do is get Bonnie someplace secluded where no one will hear anything.”

“Why?” Caroline squinted suspiciously.

“I never said it was going to be painless.”

“Wait a minute.”  Matt raised his hands.  “If this is going to cause her pain, I don’t know if –”

“This is the only way, Donovan,” Kol reprimanded sharply.  “If we don’t do this, then you’ll lose your friend; Expression will consume her and it looks like she’ll become either an empty husk with no humanity or a tool for whatever evil can manipulate her.”

Matt fell silent and no one else tried to argue.  “I’ll make a few calls.  You keep her occupied.”

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.

.

“That was fun,” Elena said as she practically bounced on the sidewalk ahead of Damon.  “But not quite as exciting as I’d thought.”  She gave Damon a significant look.  “Let’s go somewhere you used to haunt.”

Damon grinned despite himself.  “I know just the place that was a significant part of hedonistic past.”  He offered his elbow.  “Come along, Gilbert.”  Elena breezed past his arm and started down the sidewalk without him.

“Where to?” She called back.

Damon hurried to catch up and lead her to the bar he’d frequented in the seventies, trying to take the helm of the ship back into his control.  She trailed behind him when they reached his place, but scrunched her nose while he fondly grinned at his memories.  Elena gave the balcony a cursory glance, but remained unimpressed.

“This looks about right,” He said satisfactorily.

Elena sniffed.  “I was promised hedonism.”

“Well, girly, hedonism isn’t a big fan of the sunlight,” Damon drawled.

“Or soap,” She sniped.

“Easy.  Not everybody hot a hot new haircut today.”  He nodded at her and Elena smirked.  “Just give it a couple of hours and the place will be decked out with more punk-ed out rocker-wannabes than you could eat in a decade.”  The place was admittedly dusty and looked its age.  Only a few people were milling about, including the bartender who was wiping down the counter.  “I spent most of the seventies here.  _Billy’s_ was the underground of the underground; perfect place to eat all night _and_ get your fake IDs.”

“Where was Stephanie in all of this?”  Elena asked idly as she spun around, giving the place a more critical eye. 

“We occasionally split up over the years.  Sometime we needed some space from each other,” Damon explained.  “This was one of those times.  Unfortunately, I still wasn’t alone.”

Elena looked intrigued.  “Oh?”

Damon gave her dry look.  “Lexi dropped by.”

She giggled.  “You got _Lexi-ed_?”

“Unfortunately.”  Damon rolled his eyes.  “I had my humanity off at the time and was drawing a lot of attention, apparently.”

“She found you because you left a trail of bodies?”  Elena asked.  “Sloppy of you.”

“Actually, Steph found me but decided that her precarious stance on the wagon couldn’t handle me at the time and so she sent Lexi after me to clean up my act.”  It was one of the many times that Stephanie and Damon had not seen eye-to-eye on at all.  She’d gone on her own bender after their little stint in Virginia in the fifties with the good doctor, but managed to get herself back on track by ’63.  Damon, however, had not.  She’d grown concerned, blah, blah, and sent in the cavalry.

“Sounds dreadful,” Elena commiserated.

“Dreadful enough to get a drink?”  He suggested.

Elena shrugged.  “If you buy.”

“Of course.”

.

.

.

“Where are we going?” Bonnie asked as she tugged her jacket tighter around herself.  She followed Kol through the bushes and thick shrubbery, rubbing her arms.

“To find the answer to your little problem,” Kol replied.

Bonnie stopped in her tracks.  “You found somehow to help control my magic?”

Kol lied.  “Yes, now come on.  We’re wasting time.”  He motioned with his hand and Bonnie picked up her pace. 

“Why do we have to come all the way out here?”  Bonnie asked.

“This is going to get a little messy,” The Original admitted.  “I thought it was best that your father didn’t hear.”  Bonnie quirked a brow, but said nothing as they continued until they found a lone witch standing in a large, circular clearing in the forest.

“Aja,” Kol greeted warily.

The witch was dark skinned like bonnie, but she had curly brown hair instead of the straight locks Bonnie was sporting now.  An amulet hung from her neck.  “Kol Mikaelson.”  Aja nodded but her eyes were settled on Bonnie.  “Is this the Bennett witch?”

“Yes.  Bonnie, meet Aja, the head of a coven.  Aja, Bonnie.”  Kol quickly introduced.  “She was friends with your mother.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened.  “Wow.  It’s good to meet you.”

Aja smiled.  “And you.”  She grew serious.  “Listen, Bonnie, I know you're scared, but I've dealt with Expression before.  I know the hold it can have on you.”

“Thank you for helping me,” Bonnie said quietly.  “I appreciate it.  It’s just so difficult to control; how did you manage to figure it out?”

Aja slowly shook her head.  “It’s uncontrollable, Bonnie.”

“Wait.  What?”  Bonnie shot a look at Kol, whose face was impassive.  “What’s going on, Kol?”

“Aja’s going to help,” Kol explained lightly, “in the only way that is possible.”

“By what means?”  Bonnie asked tightly.

“By purging it from your body,” Aja explained grimly and as if on cue, eleven other witches stepped out of the trees and flooded the clearing.  “You’re going to be okay, Bonnie Bennett.  We’re going to take care of this.”

“I don’t want it taken care of,” Bonnie said coldly.  “I just want to control it.”

“It can’t be controlled, she said,” Kol retorted coolly.  “It controls you.”

“You’re the one who wanted me to do this!”  Bonnie accused.  “You can’t be on their side!”

“He’s the one that called us,” Aja said to her.  “And he was right to be concerned.  I can smell the darkness in your heart, Bonnie.  You must be saved.”

“No,” Bonnie growled and her eyes turned milky white.  She raised her hands to fend off the witches.

Aja narrowed her eyes.

Then she and her coven began to chant.

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.

.

Just as Damon had said, as the night crawled in, a very distinctive crowd began to filter into Billy’s, along with a band that was eager to relive the 70s and 80s through their passion for music.  The bar became alive and couples and friends moved onto the dance floor to perform some elaborate head banging and body grinding.

Damon and Elena sat at a round table together, drinking shots.

“I’m hungry again,” Elena complained.

“Then what are we waiting for?”  Damon whispered into her ear and delighted in the easy grin that lit her face.  “Let’s get some dinner.”  They lost their jackets and slipped onto the dance floor together, letting their sexual chemistry lead their movements together.  Damon pulled another woman into their little niche and let Elena take the lead.

“Don’t scream,” She compelled the human and wasted no time; she dived for the neck.  Damon waited a moment while she started to get her fill.  Then he put a hand to the human woman’s chin and slid his fangs into her throat.  The blood flooded his mouth and Damon grinned, feeling some of the thick, syrupy substances leaking from the corners of his mouth.

And so they fed from girl to girl, man to man, enjoying themselves.

“Tell me more about your time with Lexi,” Elena demanded when they paused to get some drinks from the bar.

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Damon drawled teasingly.

Elena huffed.  “Of course not.”

“Well, we met every night for months, right her in Billy’s,” Damon explained, “and she tortured me in the worst way possible; she made me _talk_ to her.”

“The horror,” Elena deadpanned, a little bit of the human shining through.

“She wanted me to talk about Katherine,” Damon continued.  “We got wasted every time.”

“Sounds like a real party.”  Elena tossed back a shot and then shot Damon a look.  “I hope you got her back for that.”

“I did,” Damon assured her but felt a pang of mild regret.  Damon refused to date to talk about what he had done to Lexi with Stephanie.  He’d mentioned once to get a rise out of her and she’d flown off the handle and given him the lecture of a lifetime.  “I manipulated her to get her off my back.”

Elena was immediately intrigued.  “How?”

Damon hoped he wasn’t giving her any ideas.  “I pretended to flip my switch back on and have feelings for her.  So we had a bunch of mind-blowing sex until one morning I got tired of the game and locked her on the rooftop for the sunrise to get her.  Obviously, she survived.”  Thankfully.

Elena was impressed.

“Hey, you want to go back to the hotel?”  Damon asked.  “I can think of a number of things we can do before the night is out.”  He wiggled his brows.

Elena pursed his lips, considering.  “Why not?”

.

.

.

Kol watched as Bonnie’s body arched up off the ground.  He watched as she writhed and screamed and forced himself to remain detached from the situation.  Toward the end of the ritual, he felt something inside of him burn and pop, and sudden feeling rushed through his lips.  He felt like something had been returned to him.

The screaming stopped.

“It is done,” Aja said dispassionately.  “The Expression has been purged and her own magic must recover.  I do not anticipate that she will be able to practice for weeks, months even.”  Her hands dropped to her sides and her coven melted back into the forest.  She nodded at Kol.  “She’s all yours.” Aja turned to leave, but stilled.  “There’s something about you, vampire . . . something unusual.”

His magic.

“I’ll figure it out some day,” the witch said, almost as if warning him.  Then she disappeared. 

Kol stooped down and picked the witch up and cradled her to his chest before flashing out of the woods and to her home.  He went in through the window and laid her onto her bed, tucking her into her quilts and sheets.  The sound of a heart beating downstairs told him Rudy was home and waiting.

Kol went to Bonnie’s desk and pulled his mother’s grimoire off of it.  Then he did something entirely too cliché for his tastes and taped a creased letter to her mirror.

On his way out of the house, he passed Bonnie’s father.

“It’s done,” He tossed out and Rudy jerked, surprised.

“She’s normal now?”

Kol snorted.  “She’s not being controlled by dark magic anymore.  But she’s still a witch and you can’t get rid of that.  If you can’t handle it, Dad, I’d suggest you get out of her life for good, before he crush her again.  Have a nice day.”  The Original stepped out of the house and pulled out his phone to listen to the voicemail Klaus had left him.

_“Stop ignoring me, little brother.  I’m taking New Orleans back and could use some of your special brand of psychosis to help.  Call me back.”_

“Well, well, well, Niklaus.  That _is_ a tempting offer.”

.

.

.

When Bonnie woke up, she knew she wasn’t alone.  Blinking the sleep out of her eyes revealed Caroline and Matt, sitting on the edge of her bed.  “Guys, what . . . ?”

“Oh, Bonnie . . .” Caroline sighed and put a hand onto her shoulder. 

“What’s going on?  I can’t . . . I can’t remember . . .” Her head was fuzzy and felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in it.

“Listen, Bon, there’s something we gotta tell you,” Matt said.  “And . . . you’re not going to like it.”

“But it was for the best,” Caroline reassured.  “Promise.”

“Start from the beginning,” Bonnie commanded.  “Please.”

“Well . . .”

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End file.
